Lux Lucet in Tenebris
by FeastOfStarlight
Summary: Anne was lost. Everyone she ever loved was gone. After what happened in New York, nothing was ever the same again. When she's recruited in the Avengers program, her pain doesn't seem any less. But there is always a light in the dark.
1. Chapter 1

**1.**

 **She was lying on the floor, again. She always fell out of her bed those days. Her nightmares had become frequent and were getting worse. Nightmares of a strange Norwegian God.**

 **He was clad in green and his hair was black. Of course she knew who he was and she knew why she was having those bad dreams.**

 **She had been in New York when all of that had happened. When the war between worlds had begun. That day, she had lost everything... Her family, friends... And now she was alone. A nineteen year old girl, left to cope alone. And the nightmares still tormented her sleep. Anne got up. Her head was a drum. She hadn't slept in so long. But it was useless trying to fall back asleep now that she was awake. The young girl rubbed her eyes and moved towards a big punching bag in her room. She had been training. For what she never knew, but she felt she must. Her bow and arrow lay in a corner, waiting for her practice routine to build up to them. Anne had many combat skills. Most concerning martial arts, but bow and arrow was her favorite. She felt alive when she held them in her hands and it was the only thing to remind her of her father. He had been an instructor.**

 **How well she knew the movements and how coordinated they were. Wing Chun, Eskrima, Nin jitsu... And again. She had learned them after she lost her father with some help and now she was an expert.**

 **When she finished, she suited up, took her bow and arrow and climbed out the window. If she couldn't have revenge, she could at least make it up by helping the other people of New York. She had taken a fancy to Vigilantiesim. Anne liked the rush she got from fighting bad guys and putting them behind bars. It helped her to feel calm and sane minded. That evening seemed the same as them all. A robbery and her... She stopped them easily, as she always did, but soon, she felt as if she weren't the only person there anymore.**

 **It had been a while since she felt watched. It had happened every evening for a month now... That feeling... Creeping up on her as only darkness and fear knew how... She didn't understand why, but she could actually sense someone was there, observing her, checking her every move.**

 **But why? Hadn't she been helping? Why would anyone want to spy on her? That evening, she got her answer.**

 **It happened while she was returning home. The feeling came to her once more... She did not wish to linger on it much, but it became stronger every time she moved.**

 **"So, what's next vigilante? You just kick some ass and go home? That must be glorifying."**

 **The voice was that of a woman's, but none the less, it stopped Anne in her tracks. So she was being followed. She should have listened to her first instinct.**

 **"It doesn't have to be glorifying. I'm just happy to help."**

 **Anne turned around. A very young woman was standing there in front of her, leaned against the wall. She wore a black jump suit and some black army boots. To Anne she looked like the typical spy you see in movies, little did she know she was much more. The woman had short bright red hair and brown eyes and she looked fairly annoyed, ad if that kind of mission didn't suit her.**

 **"Why were you following me?"**

 **"To see what you were capable of. Fury's thinking about putting you on the team."**

 **"Sorry to disappoint, but I work alone."**

 **"Sure... And that must be fun."**

 **She stood right up and came towards her, but Anne had already set an arrow in her bow and pointed it at her.**

 **"Calm down, Robin Hood! I'm just here to talk!"**

 **But Anne's eyes were locked on her target, with nothing but coldness and suspicion in them. But the thing that troubled black widow the most was that there was also no hesitation in them. She could strike her down easily without even blinking. Natasha would have never thought to find such decision, such bitterness and such cold in such a young girl. It almost frightened her.**

 **"Then talk!"**

 **Her voice was threatening. The woman felt sure now that if her conversation wasn't convincing the girl would kill her.**

 **"You're good, kid. And you got Nick Fury to notice you."**

 **"Who is Nick Fury?"**

 **"The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."**

 **Suddenly, the girl burst out laughing, a laugh so cold it was almost cruel and Agent Romanoff started doubting her mission to recruit her.**

 **"You know, every time you give me answers it just seems like you give me more questions! So, I'm going to ask you again... Who are you and what do you want?"**

 **The grin had been swept off her face and now only anger shown.**

 **Natasha felt a bit shaken. Fury had sent her to do that job because he promised it would be easy, but now it seemed to be getting dangerous.**

 **"SHIELD is an agency of people meant to protect the world. And Nick Fury wants you to join in our Avengers program."**

 **Finally the Black Widow saw a glint of something in the girl's eye that she could use to her advantage. Doubt.**

 **"Avengers? You mean..."**

 **"Yes..."**

 **"Why me?"**

 **Yes. Why her indeed? She didn't seem to be anyone special. She was good with a bow, but didn't they already have Barton for that?**

 **"I don't know, I guess he thinks you're good enough. I think he could explain it better if you come..."**

 **Uh oh. Wrong move. She had used that too hastily and now the same threatening glare was staring upon her now, but with even more force. The girl wasn't gonna go without a fight.**

 **"COME WHERE?!"**

 **Her voice was so powerful and so threatening that Natasha actually felt fear shivering down her back.**

 **"To SHIELD headquarters."**

 **The girl laughed again. Agent Romanoff hadn't felt so afraid since she recruited Bruce Banner, and he was ten times bigger than her.**

 **"Oh. I don't think so. If Fury wants to talk, he can come to ME."**

 **Anne was going to release. Natasha could feel.**

 **"I'm sorry, but I don't really think you have a choice!"**

 **As quick as a spider, the black widow was on her. But as soon as she attempted to fight, Anne blocked her. She caught the agents foot in mid air and spun her around, making her fall.**

 **Did that just happen? Thought Romanoff. Did she just beat me?**

 **Natasha tried attacking again, but each time, the girl stopped her, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. The only thing Nat had managed to do, was to knock the arrow out of her hand so she couldn't shoot. But that seemed meaningless now. The girl was beating her at her own game. She had always been the best in combat, and now some nineteen year old girl seemed almost bored. Finally, even Anne started to attack and her movements were so agile and so graceful, and so coordinated, that at the first chance, she pinned the agent to the ground and held an arrow to her throat. It had been so easy for her. So incredibly easy.**

 **"Sorry I won't be able to make it to your funeral, but..."**

 **And then silence. Natasha saw the girl instantly change expression from the surprise and then fall to the side, an arrow in her back. Then, all of a sudden, Clint dropped down right in front of her.**

 **"Seemed like you could use some help."**

 **"Tazer arrow?"**

 **"Yeah."**

 **"Great, lets get out of here."**


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Her head was spinning. She couldn't see clearly. What happened? Oh, right. The spy woman. But who had got her from behind? Tazer arrow. Very clever. She would never had expected that. Who shot it? Probably one of her accomplices. And where was she now? Probably at that SHIELD place. She decided to open her eyes. Her vision was fuzzy, but it didn't take her much to figure out that she was in a metal room with a big glass window in front of her. Were they watching her? Definitely. Anne tried to rub her eyes to clear her vision, but discovered her hands were chained to the chair.

Great. Now not only was she a prisoner, but a prisoner that couldn't defend herself. She leaned back against the chair and closed her eyes once more, waiting for the pounding in her head to stop.

They watched her for some time until they finally decided she must not be that much of a threat. She wasn't even TRYING to escape.

"Agent Barton said she beat you."

"I've never seen such determination in such a young girl."

Fury just kept looking at the girl. She was very young. Anne Knight. A nineteen year old girl from Utah. She had just happened to be in New York for a few days with her father when the city was attacked by Loki's army. Her father had been killed during the attack and the girl had never gone back home. Now she was a vigilante, defending the weak, beating up bad guys and bringing them to justice.

"Maybe Barton should be the one to talk to her. He's good with kids." Said Natasha.

The woman felt bad for the poor girl. She had read her file and immediately understood the pain that drove her to do what she did. There was nothing worse than losing the people you loved. Her mother had disappeared and now even her father was gone. She had no more family. No grandparents, no aunts, no uncles, not even a distant cousin. They had all lost touch, died or broken with her parents. She had no one to go to. No one to look after her. She had truly lost everything.

Now that Agent Romanoff got a better look at Anne, she didn't seem so frightening. With her hood down, her face looked like that of a child's. Big grey eyes, short red hair like hers, just less wavy and a very sweet complexion. Her skin was pearl white and her lips were a pale pink color. And now she looked more like a little girl, afraid and damaged by too much pain, thrust upon her without warning.

Nat could see she wasn't cold at all, or determined. So everything she had seen last night must have been drawn out by fear.

Agent Barton nodded and entered the room.

Anne heard the door open. She heard footsteps and then a soft sigh. Could it be the woman? She leaned back up and opened her eyes. She could see more clearly now. It was not the woman. No, it was someone much more different. Someone she recognized at once. Initially, she was surprised. She hadn't imagined...

"Is this some kind of joke?"

He just looked at her confused.

"You're Hawkeye. You're with that guy in the leotard and Iron Man right?"

Clint had to hold back a chuckle when she mentioned the guy in the leotard. She must have meant Thor. He instantly imagined her and Tony getting along very well.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

He stopped and just smiled kindly at her. Anne didn't know why, but looking into those deep blue eyes she felt she could trust him.

"Where am I?"

"SHIELD headquarters. I think my partner mentioned something about it."

"The woman?"

"Black Widow."

Anne just looked more confused.

"Who's she?"

For a minute, Barton seemed surprised. Everyone knew who they were now. Everyone. How was it that she didn't? How could she have never heard of Black Widow? Or Thor?

"She's a member of the Avengers, like me."

"Oh, yeah... She said something about that. That's Captain America, Iron Man, you, the leotard guy and the Hulk right?"

"And Black Widow. The Woman. Oh, and if you join the team, please keep calling him the Leotard Guy. I really want to see Tony's face."

This made her smile. And Clint thought he had never seen such a sweet smile in his life. He really couldn't imagine her being such a great fighter, but he had seen her in action. She had beat Natasha. That had never happened.

Anne liked that guy. He was nice and kind, and even a bit funny.

"So, you guys want me to join the Avengers?"

"In a manner of speaking. Oh, by the way, nice bow."

All of a sudden, it hit her.

"HEY! Were you the one who tazed me?!"

A look of guilt appeared on his face.

"Yeah... Uh... Sorry about that, but you were just about to kill my partner."

"Don't be ridiculous! I would have never killed her! I just did that to scare her! I don't kill."

It took him a while to understand that she was serious.

"Well, I think you should talk to Fury now."

Barton smiled again and started to leave when she stopped him.

"Wait! Could you... Uhm... Stay too?"

Clint suddenly realized that she was extremely frightened. Of what though? He thought he had made it clear that there was nothing to fear. But of course, her hands were handcuffed to a chair and Nat had attacked her. He could understand why she couldn't trust them completely.

Hawkeye nodded gently, still smiling and pulled his chair next to hers. This made Anne feel much better. She saw him nod slightly and the door open once more. This time a tall, dark man entered the room. He had the most serious expression she had ever seen and an eyepatch on his left eye. He was completely clad in black. Black leather trench coat, black leather pants, black leather boots and black turtle neck shirt.

But no matter how grave he seemed, he didn't seem to frighten Anne at all. And she was thankful to Hawkeye for this.

"Miss Knight. I expect Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton have mentioned me."

"Yes..."

Her expression went cold again, just like the night before. She didn't trust him.

"We've been watching you for the last few years."

"Why?"

"Because we thought you might be useful."

"How did you even know that I would become a vigilante?"

"People driven by desperation take desperate measures, and YOU were desperate."

Now she REALLY didn't trust him. That was one of the worst lies she had ever heard. But she let him think she bought it.

"We would like you to take part in our Avengers program and become part of SHIELD."

To become one of the Avengers... Even she had to admit that would be pretty cool. Fighting along side Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye... That really sounded great. But what was the catch?

"Why me?"

"You have incredible and almost unnatural fighting skills, some of the best I've seen since Agent Romanoff and you fight for a good cause."

Another lie.

"What would I have to do?"

"Live at Stark tower and go on missions when needed."

"Wait... I would be living with the Avengers?"

Nick Fury sighed.

"Miss Knight. You must understand that you would have to have training first to become an Agent so we can be sure we can trust you before we let you..."

"I won't become a part of SHIELD."

This came as a shock to the three of them. Even Natasha, listening behind the glass, flinched.

"And may I ask why?"

"It's simple. I don't trust you."

His already grave face became even more serious, and angry.

"You've been lying to me ever since I started asking you questions. And don't tell me you haven't been, because I'm not stupid. Another reason is that I don't know anything about your Organization or what it stands for, but it's obviously based on secrecy and worst of all, lies. And if there is something I can't tolerate, it's deceit. So answer me this, Nick Fury... Why would I have to be trained here if I'm already one of the best fighters you've ever seen?"

She leaned towards him. She had a certain certainty in her eyes that made Fury sit still and quiet. Clint smiled. That kid was actually really smart.

"And how would you know my organization is based on lies?"

"What else could an agency with a lying chief be?"

"I hide the truth from people to protect them, Miss Knight."

"Oh, I seriously doubt that. Like him. He's a part of SHIELD right?"

And she looked towards Barton.

"He tries to look carefree, puts on the mask of a funny, optimistic person. Now, do you want to know what I see?"

All of sudden, the grin on Hawkeye's face disappeared and Nat started to listen intently.

"I see someone who's hiding the pain of a tormented past by putting a smile on his face. I see someone who's lost everything and yet who's still managed to have everything given back to him. But the pain never goes away. And so his humor is only a defense mechanism. Or take your Black Widow for instance. Sassy and strong on the outside, but a little girl, afraid and alone and desperate on the inside. A little girl with a very dark past. And then there's you... Well, there's not much to tell. You say you stand for justice and for everything good, but you don't even know the meaning of the words. THAT is why I won't join SHIELD. Because I am not a lier."

Everything was still. Barton kept repeating her words in his head. How could she know so much about him? And Nat?

Romanoff was just staring at the girl, frightened. How was that possible?

Fury did not change expression.

"I read people Director Fury. I can see who they truly are from examining them or from just looking them in the eyes and I'm almost never wrong. I'll join the Avengers, because they stand for what is right, but I will not join SHIELD."


	3. Chapter 3

3.

Hey guys, so this is my first Avengers story! Please review and tell me if you like it ;)

Anne had thought that after all she had said, Fury would have killed her. But all he did was stand back up and leave. Shortly after, she was given back her quiver and her bow and put in a car with Barton and Romanoff. The first seemed to like her a lot. Clint thought she was exceptionally smart and talented for such a young person and he admired her even more for not joining SHIELD. The second saw her as a threat. Everything she seemed to know about her was correct and if that got out in the open, who knew what kind of damage it could cause.

Nonetheless, they were to take her to retrieve her things and then to Stark tower.

After a few hours, though, Anne noticed that they were leaving New York.

"Uhhh... Did I miss something?" she asked, quite confused.

"No. We're taking you to get your things." Answered Nat.

"My things, yeah, but... My apartment is in Manhattan. "

"Not THOSE things."

It hit her like a bolt of lightning. Utah. They were taking her home. But why? She hadn't set foot in that house since she and her dad had left for New York, and why would she do so now?

Anne's heart started racing at the thought of re opening her past, of remembering things she had tried so hard to forget. That house... It was so full of memories of who her father was. She wasn't sure she was ready.

It took them a few days to get all the way to Utah.

Anne was surprised they just didn't take a plane or something, but Barton explained that it wasn't easy or safe for them to take a plane those days and that Fury, being truly mad at her hadn't wanted to leave a private jet to her disposal.

But this didn't seem to bother any of them. Natasha and Clint seemed to like the idea of a road trip and Anne loved watching outside her window as she saw cities, villages, wide open spaces and green pastures pass them by. They reminded her of home and of the life she once had.

Anne came from Springdale. And she swore she had never seen such a beautiful place in her life. She had loved to take long walks and stop and admire the scenery a thousand times. It seemed as if she could never get enough of the beauty of God's creations.

She used to sit under the tree by their house, a book in her hands and read for hours, but now... Those times were over.

The three of them stopped rarely and only to eat or sleep.

No one seemed to be in the mood for talking.

Finally after four days, they reached their destination.

It was just how Anne remembered it. The big brown farm house. It looked abandoned now, though, and in the cold crisp of winter, even more lonely. But she knew that what awaited her inside was full of warmth.

The girl walked slowly towards her old home, setting her eyes upon everything, trying to remember with joy everything she had lived in that amazing place.

Agent Barton and Romanoff followed her slowly behind.

Finally, she got to the door and hesitated. Was everything still there? Or had they pillaged and bartered everything in the house? She took her key out of her pocket, Anne always carried it just in case, and she opened the door.

Nothing had changed. The sweet smell of book pages hit her like a slap in the face and her eyes filled with tears. Everything was still there. The young girl walked down the narrow hallway filled with books. She was used to it.

Her father, Joseph, had loved to read. Of course, he was an archer instructor, but he had always considered that more like a hobby, his true interests lied between the pages of a book.

There were books everywhere, stacked up on the floors, on the tables, on the chests, bookshelves, shelves, counters... Everywhere you put your feet, you had had to be careful to not step on one of them.

Anne entered the kitchen and she could almost picture her father sitting at the table, reading and drinking his coffee with a younger version of herself at his side doing the same. She too loved to read, and she had read probably more than all of the kids of her age put together. And they read all the time. Sometimes together, sometimes in separate places, but they were always reading more than doing anything else. In fact, the kitchen was always a mess, as were their rooms and the living room... They just never seemed to get to it.

When Anne had turned fifteen, though, she had dedicated herself more to bow and arrow. Her father had taught her everything he knew. That's why she still did it. It reminded her so much of him.

She made her way up to his room and there she found his things exactly as they had always been. Books mostly, some clothes here and there.

She picked up one of them on his desk. It was his favorite.

"Why do you like it so much, da?"she had asked him when she was little.

"Ah! Because there is so much good inside it! And if the reader is careful to each word, you can see the truth hidden beneath it."

She hadn't understood until many years later. The Chronicles of Narnia. It was one big paperback book that contained all seven books.

She had never understood why her father read such a childish book until she herself was old enough to understand and see past appearances.

Anne held the book to her chest and fell to her knees. The tears just came out. They were too fast to be stopped. Those were the tears that had been held back for so long. They were full of the pain, the desperation and agony she had tried to hide.

She started to sob when Barton and Natasha came in.

They didn't dare to say a word, but watched her with pity and compassion.

It took Anne a while to get herself back together again. When she did, she took one of her dads backpacks and started stuffing it with his clothes and hers. Then she got another bag and filled it with books. She would have liked to take all of them, but that would have been impossible.

Finally, they left and she closed the door to her past, maybe forever.

"I want to rent it out."

The two agents were surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"The books... I don't to leave them here uncared for. I want someone to take care of them."

Romanoff smiled gently.

"Would you like us to find someone?"

The girl nodded, tears still running down her cheeks.

"Someone good, who knows what he's doing and has as much love for books as my father did."

The two nodded and agreed to get right on it.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, so I'm going to be posting a couple chapters a day :) Please review! ;)

4.

The trip back seemed to take longer. And it was even more quiet than the first. Anne had put one of her father's sweatshirts on and buried herself in the smell of it. It still had his scent.

When they got back to New York, it seemed like a decade had passed since they had left it. Nothing had changed and yet everything had. She had faced her past and could start moving on now. Best of all, she was about to meet all of the Avengers and work by their side! What else could she possibly ask for?

They arrived at Stark Tower in the late afternoon and got on the elevator.

"Nervous?" Asked Clint noticing that she was a bit shaky.

"Kinda..."

"Don't worry, but I wouldn't make Banner mad. He can turn green sometimes."

Anne knew that that wasn't a joking matter, but she couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh, but watch out for Tony, he can be... A bit...Tony." And he sighed.

This made her laugh even more. Somehow, that man, despite whatever horrors he had had to endure in his past, was able to make her feel better.

The elevator opened and Anne found herself in front of all of them.

"Welcome!" Said a woman standing next to Tony Stark.

"You must be Anne!" And she shook her hand. She was a tall, beautiful, red haired woman. This made Anne laugh. Confused she just stared back.

"Sorry!" She said still giggling.

"I'm just trying to understand why they say that red heads are rare! Or are all of us just standing in the same room?"

Barton burst out in laughter and Anne heard Tony say sarcastically: "Well... I like her."

Pepper, the woman, elbowed him in the stomach and smiled again, more openly. Anne already liked her.

"Anne, this is Pepper, Tony..."

Tony just gave her an annoyed look and made a comical remark on her last name, asking if due to her situation it had been given to her.

Pepper elbowed him in the stomach again.

"This is Bruce Banner..."

A very quiet man who had been sitting on the couch stood up and came over to shake her hand. He seemed desperate and nervous at the same time. Anne could see he was young, but he was aged by fear of what he had become probably.

"Pleasure to meet you."

"And me you."

The man sat back down quietly.

"Captain Steve Rogers..."

Now this was a surprise. She had been told he was from the forties, but she found herself shaking hands with a very young man, tall and strong, with deep blue eyes and blonde hair. Anne's cheeks turned red as he said:

"How do you do, ma'am?"

"I do quite fine, thank you."

He had so many muscles, yet not too many to look weird. Just the right amount. She immediately thought him very handsome, but that was not the only thing that captured her about him. Anne realized almost immediately. She couldn't READ him. Not from his expression, not from his eyes... Nothing. Was he just an open book or was he just really good at hiding his true identity?

"And this is the guy in the leo... Oh, I mean, Thor."

If Captain America had caught her eye, Thor did ten times more.

But not because he was handsome, though he REALLY was, but because of how he was dressed and how he talked.

"It is a true honor to make your acquaintance, my lady."

And he bowed and kissed her hand, making her blush once more.

"Oh! So You're the guy in the leotard!"

This time, Tony and Barton burst out laughing with much disapproval from both Pepper and Steve. Thor didn't seem to understand and asked repeatedly what a "leopard" was much to the satisfaction of Tony and Clint who just kept laughing.

"Well, I guess that's all of us. Barton, we have to go."

Natasha, who had been standing behind them, came out and urged Clint to regain composure. For a moment she looked annoyed, but after a few seconds even she couldn't but smile at their childish behavior.

"Well, I guess we'll see you tomorrow Anne. Don't worry, we're leaving you in good hands."

She smiled once more and dragged an almost half dead Hawkeye behind her.

He just nodded still laughing and they both disappeared in the elevator.

"Well, that was interesting. Would you like me to show you to your room, ma'am?" asked Steve smiling.

"Yeah, but you can call me Anne."

He nodded and they left the living room, Thor still asking why everyone was so "diverted" and Tony exclaiming that he and that girl were gonna get along just fine.

"Tony had it prepared, I don't know where he got the idea, but Barton and Romanoff said you would feel right at home."

Steve smiled and opened the door revealing a huge room with a fireplace and walls covered with bookshelves.

Anne walked in, almost hypnotized. She walked right up to one of them and picked up the first book she saw and recognized it immediately. It hadn't been one of her father's but it was one of his favorites.

"I can't believe it..."

Anne kept looking around herself until her eyes filled with her tears. They weren't her father's books, but they reminded her of him and made that room feel like she was home again.

"And we made a few calls and found a Tenant for your house. Someone who will take care of your father's books. I picked her out myself and gave her a fair warning that if anything happened to them, there would be consequences."

Anne's first urge was to go right up to him and hug him, but she held herself back. Having just met him, she thought that would seem a bit weird. So, with tears falling gently on her cheeks, she smiled.

"Thank you."

Steve smiled and left her alone. Anne couldn't believe how nice they had been even if they didn't know her at all.

Suddenly, she felt that everything was finally going to be all right. She pulled the sweatshirt even closer.

Yes, everything was going to be alright.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys! So I really hope you're liking the story! :) Big secrets are a coming! :) Totally awesome winter soldier stuff too ;)

5.

The nightmares again. Loki. The aliens. Her father's cries. His face stained with grief. His voice telling her to run. And then the face of a woman she didn't know. She was dressed strange. Like someone from a different time. Who was she? Why had she never had a dream about her before? Her screams.

"Who are you?!" She cried.

"WHO ARE YOU!"

And then a voice, a distant voice calling her back to the world of the living.

"Madam. Madam."

Anne woke up. No one was in the room, but a voice kept calling her.

"Who, who are you?"

"My name is Jarvis. I am an Artificial Intelligence designed by Mr. Stark."

"Oh... Nice to meet you, I guess."

"Miss Knight, Mr. Stark reminds you that breakfast is at nine and beckons you to awake."

"Great, tell him I'll be right down."

"As you wish, madam."

The girl rubbed her temples and slowly got out of bed and headed for the bathroom to take a shower.

That woman in her dream. Who could she have possibly been? Something told her she knew her, but Anne couldn't associate her face to anyone she had known.

When she finished she went to her giant new closet to pick out some clothes to find all of her old ones replaced with millions more.

"Uh... What the frick?"

There were clothes of every kind and style invented in the past hundred years.

Not being able just then to choose, she picked out a pair of plain blue jeans, a black t-shirt and to top it off, she put on one of her dad's sweatshirts and headed down stairs. She would definitely have fun exploring the closet later on.

When she got to the dining room it was after ten o clock and everyone had already gone, but a stack of pancakes had been left for her. She devoured them and went looking for the others. In this way she could explore the tower a bit too.

She entered many rooms full of gadgets and technological stuff she knew nothing about, she even managed to find the swimming pool, the computer room, the costume room, but no Avengers.

"Wow, this might be harder than I thought... This place is huge."

Finally, she knocked on a door and someone said: "Come in!"

She recognized Natasha's voice immediately.

"Hey, sorry to intrude, but where is everyone?"

"You're not intruding, come on in." She said while slipping on a very sexy black dress and zipping up.

"Steve's in the training room, Stark is... Somewhere trying to be smart as usual, Banner's..."

She blushed a moment, but then regained composure. But not quick enough for Anne not to notice.

"Probably with him. Thor had to go back to Asgard and me and Barton are just about to leave for a mission in Monte Carlo."

"Thus the dress."

"Did you have any doubts?" Said Nat smiling with a sassy attitude.

"When are you guys gonna be back?"

"In a week if everything goes well, why?"

"No reason."

That wasn't entirely true. She didn't know anyone there but them and she already felt like an intruder as it was.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get along with everyone."

Anne sighed.

"I hope so."

"You know, I'm sure Steve wouldn't mind training with you. But if you beat him, please do make a video this time."

The girl laughed.

"Will do! But where's the training room?"

"Fith floor, first door on the right."

"Thanks. See you next week I guess."

Nat smiled and Anne left, wondering how many missions they had to go on being SHIELD agents. Suddenly, she was REALLY thankful she didn't accept THAT offer. This way she could easily get to know her partners before she fought at their sides.

She was a bit disappointed about Thor, though. Asgard... Where had she heard that name before? She knew it was a mythological land and all, but that's not what bothered her. She had actually HEARD it before.

Now wasn't the time to think about that though. Anne put on some good exercise clothes and went down to the training room.

When she opened, she found Steve punching the punching bag so hard until it fell from the ceiling and he had to put another one on. This is when he noticed her watching him.

"Are you just going to stand there?" He asked with a smile.

"Sorry, I didn't want to bother you."

"It's no bother at all."

Anne blushed and went up to him.

"Natasha said you might want to train together."

"Are you sure? Have you ever fought?"

She nodded giggling, sensing the sarcasm in his voice.

"I beat Black Widow."

Steve smiled.

"Well, lets see how you do with me."

They both got into position and started fighting. Anne used her usual routine. She let her opponent start the attack and egged him on for a while, making him believe he could actually win. But strength wasn't everything.

He tried punching a few times, but Anne just ducked. He tried tripping her, but she jumped. Every move he made, she would avoid it. Finally, when it seemed he had no more to give, she started her own attack. It took her two seconds to end the fight. She simply ran up against the wall, kicked backwards and pushed against him so hard that he fell straight to the ground.

"Wow... That was way easier than I ever thought it would be."

Steve just laughed.

"Wow you are really good." He then held out his hand, and Anne grabbed it to help him up, thinking him an honest opponent, but she was mistaking. As soon as she got hold of his hand, Steve turned the tables and she found herself back against the floor the great Captain America slightly above her laughing. Anne couldn't help but blush and laugh herself. Finally, they both stood and agreed they would train together from now on. They both had to work on things that the other had. Steve had to work on his technique and coordination, while as Anne had to work on her being predictable.

By the time they finished, it was almost one and they were both starving.

Bruce and Tony were waiting for them at the dinning table with mexican takeout, discussing something that nor she or Steve understood.

It happened suddenly. First, an alarm went off, then the building started going under lock down.

"Something tells me that can't be good." As soon as she had finished saying this, she noticed that they were all gone. When they got back she noticed they had all suited up. So she ran to her room, but couldn't find her suit anywhere. But that didn't matter anymore, because two seconds later she found herself facing a man with shoulder length black hair, blues eyes full of malice and green robes.

Loki.

"Hello again."

Meanwhile, Steve found himself facing the same threat, only that it was Schmidt. At first he had started to panic, but then he had started fighting with all his strength.

Tony was facing the Mandarin.

The curious thing was that the men they were facing were dead. This was what frightened them the most.

The only one that wasn't fighting was Bruce. Though his father was standing right in front of him, he just refused to fight. And this was because he was trying to figure out what was causing these hallucinations.

"You know, your father was a good man."

Anne did not let her anger cloud her mind. She attacked calmly. She had complete control over her feelings.

But each attack went ill and Loki kept inflicting her more than she.

He cut her arms, legs and stomach with his dagger and just watched her trying to keep calm and attack at the same time.

"I still remember his cries. How pathetic you human beings are."

This time, she tried a more frontal attack, but even against this Loki defended himself easily and while she was trying to punch him, he grabbed her arm and broke it.

Banner had figured it out. They weren't human, but they weren't hallucinations either. They were robots and it took him a few moments to shut them down, but when he did they were all very thankful. Steve and Tony hadn't ever fought so desperately. It was then that Steve noticed Anne wasn't there.

"Where's..." But he never finished that sentence.

All of a sudden they heard her scream and started running immediately up stairs.

"So weak... So pathetic! Poor little Anne! Who's going to take care of you now?"

But Anne didn't give up. She didn't know where his strength came from, but she was better. She HAD to be better. She tried to kick but he just twisted her by her leg and broke it. She screamed again.

"Tell me Anne, who's going to save you now that your father is dead?"

"We will!"

The three came running in. Tony distracted the robot just enough for Bruce to disable it and shut it down, while Steve ran to help Anne.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Please review so I know what you think and how I can improve! thanks! :)**

 **6.**

 **The Captain watched her sleep.**

 **"She has two fractured ribs, a broken arm, a broken leg and not to add some seriously deep cuts on her arms and stomach."**

 **That had been Bruce's diagnosis and they all had been worried sick. It was her first day, and already she would have to keep it easy for more than a month, which meant no missions and no Avengers for now.**

 **Both Tony and Steve felt that this attack had happened too soon and that maybe she wasn't ready yet, but Bruce just shook his head.**

 **"These Robots were designed to destroy us. None of us could have beaten them, not even... The big guy."**

 **He examined the Loki Robot carefully. The others had disappeared.**

 **"But why take the form of dead people?"**

 **"I think it was more a question of taking the form of what each of us most fear or feared. But that's not all... Tony, maybe you should take a look at the material used to construct them."**

 **It took Tony one look. All of a sudden he became serious and sighed.**

 **"Adamantium."**

 **Barton and Natasha had been contacted to do some research on the threat that they faced. To get in contact with Thor was near to impossible. He would just have to show up. Steve was to watch over Anne while she was still asleep.**

 **He really felt bad for the kid. Things just seemed to be going worse and worse for her. Now she couldn't even fight.**

 **Steve had seen it in her eyes when they met. The pain, the rage, the fear... Something inside her was damaged. After everything that had happened he couldn't blame her. But he doubted he knew her enough to have a clear picture of her character. Besides, there was something about her he just couldn't seem to understand.**

 **When Anne opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed were the casts. Then came the excruciating pain. She cursed Loki and her own weakness. And she was just about to rip the cast off with her bare hand when she noticed the Captain watching her.**

 **"I wouldn't do that if I were you. It would only make things worse."**

 **Anne started to swear and then, accepting defeat, she leaned back and sighed, causing pain in her rib cage.**

 **"Son of a...!"**

 **"Yeah, Banner says you have two fractured ribs, a broken leg and a broken arm. Not to mention a few seriously deep wounds."**

 **"Great..."**

 **She had joined the Avengers to fight for what was right. And now... She just had to sit there for who knows how long. At least they had kept her in her room and hadn't taken her to the hospital. But it didn't actually seem like they needed to. All the equipment that could be found in a hospital and more was in that room right now.**

 **"Banner says you should be ready to fight again in about a month if you rest well."**

 **Anne only nodded. She had faced Loki. It was his fault her father had died and she couldn't even beat him. She had trained so long for that moment and she blew it.**

 **"Don't get yourself down. None of us could have beaten those robots. They were made of Adamantium, the same metal used for my shield."**

 **Anne turned around, surprised.**

 **"Wait... What?"**

 **"The robots were made of the strongest metal alloy that exists on earth. No one could have.."**

 **"Loki's a robot?"**

 **Steve looked at her confused.**

 **"No, Loki was a living being. That was not Loki."**

 **All of a sudden everything became clear. His exceptional strength, the fact that she couldn't wound him... He was just a robot. He wasn't the real Loki. This actually made her feel a lot better. So she HADN'T failed her father.**

 **Steve saw a smile appear on her pale face, but now he knew... He knew what was actually driving her. Revenge. She wanted revenge. How was he going to tell her? How was he going to tell her that everything she had fought for until now had been worthless?**

 **"Anne..."**

 **"So I COULD have beaten him. It wasn't him."**

 **"Anne."**

 **"I knew something was wrong, but he just looked so real..."**

 **"Anne!"**

 **The young girl set her gaze upon the Captain once more and he sighed.**

 **"Anne, Loki is dead."**

 **The light in her eyes went out once more.**

 **"What?"**

 **"He died trying to save Thor about four months ago."**

 **"No... No, that's... That's impossible..."**

 **"It was for the best."**

 **Anne's eyes filled with uncontrollable pain and rage. Loki was already dead. Now what?**

 **"No, I was supposed to kill him..."**

 **"Anne..."**

 **"I WAS SUPPOSED TO KILL HIM!"**

 **Her anger came out so suddenly that it almost frightened him. Steve had thought he had seen some good in her, but now all he could see was a girl too broken to fight. A girl driven by pain and nothing more. She was too lost to fight and she didn't have a real reason to do so. Revenge was never a good reason.**

 **Steve left the room, disappointed.**


	7. Chapter 7

**7.**

 **The Captain didn't hesitate when he told the others he thought it was best for Anne to leave the team, but none of them seemed to care very much.**

 **"Well, everybody has their reasons..." Was Tony's "I don't give two flips" reply.**

 **"I don't think we want someone who's only ambition was to kill her father's murderer on the team."**

 **Bruce thought he had a good point, but he still shook his head.**

 **"Maybe not, but if she's so lost as you say she is, do you really want her set loose alone on the city right now? Desperate people tend to do desperate things. Maybe it's a good thing if she stays, so at least we can put her on the right track again."**

 **"Thing is Uncle Sam, if we let her go now as desperate as you say she is, she might make bad decisions that lead to very bad consequences."**

 **Steve couldn't do anything but agree with this theory. They were right. He didn't want her to become a bad person just because she was desperate. No, she couldn't leave just yet.**

 **But none of them would have had to worry so much, because it just so happened that Anne was thinking the same exact thing.**

 **So THAT was what was driving her. She had always thought it to be the will to do good, to honor her father, but it wasn't... James was right. It had always been revenge. But now what was that worth? Nothing. It only made her feel worse and she could never forgive herself for letting Steve see her like that. James had told her a lot about Steve. From what she understood he was one of the greatest men alive and she had probably lost all of his respect. That feeling pierced her like a knife.**

 **The days went by. Most of them came to see her every day and at least one of them stayed with her for the rest of it. Everyone except Steve. Anne understood his decision the break off every communication with her. He didn't trust her, maybe he hadn't trusted her since day one. It was awful to think that after her first day, she was already put aside by one of the people she most respected. At least from the idea she had made of him, and from James's description, Steve Rogers was the most noble man ever to be seen on earth. But James never did say anything more.**

 **Even Thor came to keep her company and she swore she had never laughed so much in her life. Anne knew he was doing it on purpose, she could see from his eyes that he was actually extremely bright and quick-witted, but maybe he hid that side of himself so he could surprise both his enemies and allies. Anne had the greatest respect for him.**

 **"What is the cellular device you talk of?"**

 **"It's a cellphone, Thor. We use it to communicate with each other even from a very long distance."**

 **"Ah! Like a letter!"**

 **Anne giggled.**

 **"Kind of... But we can actually talk with the other person."**

 **"I do not understand."**

 **She laughed again and Thor smiled. That was proof he was doing it on purpose, but she was happy he was.**

 **When Bruce came to stay with her, she asked him to read. He had a really nice ready voice, soft and steady which brought the words to life. It reminded her of her father's voice, so she asked him to read often. When he did, her mind travelled to distant lands and met the strangest people. He made her feel so much at home, that somehow they bonded instantly. Banner would never had admitted it, but he actually liked reading to her and seeing her eyes light up. He liked to make her smile and somehow, she became like a daughter to him in a very short time. Barton, on the other hand, was the perfect remedy for gloomy days, even more than Thor, who was just really sweet and big brotherly like. They too bonded quite easily. Barton just made her laugh. He would do the most hilarious things. Pull pranks on Tony, which was the best thing ever to watch, or on Natasha, not so fun when she got hold of him, or he would just say something so funny she would just burst out laughing. Once day, a couple of weeks after the attack, Barton had the brilliant idea to dump a bucket of water on Tony's favorite Iron Man suit while he was working on it. He managed, or better, Jarvis managed to get it all on camera.**

 **Anne didn't even know so many cuss words existed.**

 **When it was mister billionaire's turn to keep an eye on her, because it was obvious that that was what they were doing, it started out in sarcastic remarks and always ended up in big fights and Tony would leave the room mumbling about children and how stupid they were.**

 **Nonetheless, Anne noticed that under his selfish, sarcastic shell was a man ready to give his life for the good of the world and the one's he loved and she found herself wishing she had such a reason to go on.**

 **He was childish, but underneath, he was tormented by terrible memories.**

 **In a short time, the young girl managed to bond with each Avenger, except for Steve and Natasha. Nat was the one responsible for finding whomever had done this to her, so she was never there, but Steve just didn't want to see her. But one day, after three weeks had passed, he was forced to.**

 **Nat had found a lead, and someone needed to stay with her. The others, though were bent on going, so Steve was forced to stay and protect her. He entered her room without saying a word and sat down. Anne smiled at him with kindness.**

 **"Are the others gone?"**

 **"Natasha found a lead somewhere in Germany. So I'll be..."**

 **"Protecting me for a few days."**

 **She smiled again, but Steve fell silent.**

 **"Why is everyone so worried about me? Are they afraid whoever did this is going to come back for me?"**

 **Steve never ceased to be impressed by her quick-witts. So she had noticed.**

 **"You noticed, huh?" He smiled gently and Anne felt like she was making progress.**

 **"Well, it doesn't exactly take a genius. So what is this all about?"**

 **"Changing your mind."**

 **The reply surprised her.**

 **"About what?"**

 **"About the reason you've been fighting."**

 **Her face turned grave and a certain darkness fell upon it as she sighed.**

 **"Right, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. Listen, I'm sorry about the way I reacted. I was in a lot of pain and I don't even know where that came from. I guess I should have listened to James when.."**

 **Steve shuddered.**

 **"James? Who's James?"**

 **Anne's top lip quivered. She had promised she would never mention her meeting him to anyone, but now, to regain his trust, she was ready to break that promise.**

 **"I met him about six months ago. I found him wandering the streets like a lost dog, so I offered him some food and a place to stay. He promised to train me to thank me. I was already fighting then, but I wasn't as good as I am now and it's all thanks to him. He called himself James and that's all. He didn't seem to remember much about his past, but he seemed to know you and always talked fondly of you. I never understood why. He trained me for five and a half months. We even became friends, then..."**

 **She paused. This was so hard for her.**

 **"Then?" There was a certain eagerness in his face, something she had never noticed in him before.**

 **"Then, one morning I woke up and he was gone. I haven't seen him since."**

 **The Captain's face had went grave and he was very quiet.**

 **"What was his name?"**

 **"James."**

 **"James what?"**

 **"I don't know. He never told me. He didn't really talk much. When he did, we were training."**

 **She felt guilty. She did know his last name, but James had made her promise to keep it a secret. Already telling Steve was a big step. James had been a big part of her life. He had trained her, made her what she was. He had been her friend. The day he had left, everything seemed to come crushing down on her. He had just gone, without a single word. Disappeared into thin air. Anne had been hurt by his sudden decision.**

 **Steve did not talk. He was lost in deep thought. Could it be? Bucky? He had lost him around the time she said, it was a possibility. And she said he had mentioned him, but why would he just leave? Were his memories coming back?**

 **After a while, he spoke again.**

 **"Why are you telling me this?"**

 **A smile appeared on her face.**

 **"Because I trust you... And I want you to trust me too... And forgive me, if you can."**

 **Maybe he had been wrong about her. Maybe she was just lost. Maybe it was a natural reaction to want revenge.**

 **Steve finally smiled at her and she could see it was sincere.**


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, so now we're really going to find out what happened ;) Please review!

8.

For three days, Steve stayed at her side. They talked and he finally came to realize all the pain she had been through. Anne told him everything, from the moment her father died up until then.

She told him she had ran away from the people who wanted to find her a new family and had moved into an old abandoned apartment on a bad part of town. For days she had just sat there, crying, letting the pain consume her. She didn't eat or sleep, she didn't move. One day she just got up, her pain turned to rage, and just started punching the wall, as hard as she could. That's when she had started training herself. The more she punched and kicked, the more her anger was calmed and the less she thought of the pain.

After a week she finally left the apartment in search of food. What happened during the next past weeks wasn't something she was proud of. She stole food, water and a bow and some arrows. And she kept doing so to survive. So she herself had become a criminal without even noticing. She got the first part of her training by watching an instructor of Wing Chun through the gym window. Anne went on like this until she met James. It happened one evening when she was walking back to her apartment. She had robbed a handful of bread from a bakery when a mechanical hand stopped her in her tracks. She felt the cold metal around her wrist. The fist started getting tighter around her wrist until she finally dropped the bread and screamed. Anne still remembered every word he said that night.

"You know, you're not supposed to steal."

He let go of her wrist and picked up the bread.

"And what are you doing exactly?" She asked him, cunning.

Anne saw a small grin appear upon his face. He was tall, full of muscles, with shoulder length brown hair and deep green eyes. He had a mechanical arm with a red star on it and wore soldier clothes.

"It's called eating... I'm hungry."

And he took a big bite out of the bread.

Anne felt strangely drawn to that man. She could see from his eyes he was lost, desperate... He was suffering just as she was. Suddenly he turned around and started to leave.

"Wait!" She called. The man stopped.

"If you don't have anywhere to stay, you can stay with me."

She didn't know why she had asked, nor why he nodded and followed her there. Maybe he was tired of being alone. He had taught her many things, especially about fighting. And she had grown with his teachings. They spent most of their time together and Anne grew more attached to him than she should have. James noticed this. He noticed it every time they would fight. Her eyes lit up every time they spoke.

He taught her how to fall from a roof without getting hurt, to slide on cars... Everything, and she loved it.

Anne gave a full account of what happened, leaving out only a few details. Some things were left better un told.

James noticed how feeling Anne was becoming towards him. But he let it pass. She was getting better every day. She was getting stronger. He needn't break her heart just yet. But as the months passed, something strange started to happen. He started taking a liking to that girl. He liked her quick-witts, her determination... She was strong and he liked it.

One evening, as they were training, he pinned her against the wall. And then it happened... He did it without thinking. He didn't even know why. She was just so strong, so full of pain and suffering... Just like him. James leaned in and kissed her. All of a sudden, all of his feelings and memories came rushing back. Steve, the war, the fall, the pain... They came back so quickly he got scared. He pushed Anne away shocked and ran his hands through his hair.

"James? What's wrong?"

What was he doing? All of a sudden, he noticed his mechanical arm and stared at it shocked. That's when he remembered more. The torture... They cut off his arm and put that monstrosity on him.

"James?"

He looked back up at her and saw the fear in her eyes.

"J-james?"

Bucky Barnes. That was his name. James Buchanan Barnes.

"Steve... "

"James who is Steve?"

"He... He was my best friend."

Bucky closed his eyes. Images shot through his mind.

"I... I tried to kill him."

"James what are you talking about?"

"MY NAME IS BUCKY!" He yelled without even thinking and pushed her against the wall once more. This time he saw genuine fear in her eyes and tears falling on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry."

And he backed away and turned around.

After a few minutes, he felt a small hand on his shoulder.

"What happened?"

He was quiet for a few seconds and then made a quick reply.

"I remembered."

Anne came in front of him and smiled.

"What did you remember?"

But he couldn't tell her. It would only frighten her. He looked in her big blue eyes and felt the rush of feelings from before come back. And he kissed her again, pulling her towards him, pressing his body against hers. He felt her hands in his hair pull him more towards her. What he was doing was wrong. But he couldn't stop it. He had to leave. He had to let her live her life. She couldn't do that with him there. He didn't know why he had even come with her that day, six months ago. Maybe because he saw something in her that reminded him of himself.

He woke up the next morning. Anne's head was on his bare chest. He moved her slightly away and got up. Then he left. He needed to figure some things out. He needed to understand what happened. Bucky left Anne a letter. He didn't explain why he had to leave, but he told her to go to Steve. He could help her. He could show her a way. He could show her how to live again. Without pain, without suffering. Steve was the best man he had ever known. But he begged her not to tell him anything about him.

When Anne read the letter she hated him. She started crying and she burned it. She didn't want to remember him. He broke her heart.

Obviously she didn't tell Steve any of this. She couldn't. It was too painful and besides, she did make a promise. She was keeping it, in a way. She had found Steve and Bucky was right, he was a great man. Just how much she didn't know yet.

"After he left, I started working on the streets. Got a suit and started fighting for real, until a few weeks ago, when SHIELD contacted me and brought me here."

The Captain was happy she had shared so much with him, but he couldn't help but feel that she was still keeping something from him. Something about the mysterious James. He was almost sure he must be Bucky, but he didn't have enough evidence. When he asked for a description, Anne just said she rather respect James's decision to not tell anyone. She didn't add the "especially him" part.


	9. Chapter 9

**9.**

 **When Steve left the room that day, he felt quite disturbed but all the information she had given him in the last few days. It was a lot to take in and he started hoping the team would be back soon to give him something to distract him.**

 **Just as he started hoping, in walked in a very grave Tony Stark, followed by a very serious Bruce, Clint, Natasha and Thor.**

 **"What happened?"**

 **"Hydra." Was their only reply.**

 **Hydra. He should have known. They always seemed to be involved.**

 **When they had sat down, they started to tell him their story.**

 **"Apparently, Hydra is undergoing a new target. They want to eliminate a threat." Tony explained very plainly.**

 **"Can't imagine who that would be."**

 **Bruce nodded.**

 **"They've been watching us for months, if not years. Examining our characters, finding our weaknesses, drawing out our worst fears."**

 **"But why?"**

 **"I guess we've foiled too many of their plans, stuck our noses in their business, starting from you in the 1940's."**

 **That seemed about right. Eliminate a threat.**

 **"That's the Hydra motto." Said Clint. They all looked very afraid. Even Tony, who was trying as always to be as carefree as possible. But even Steve could tell something was bothering him.**

 **"How did they make the robots?"**

 **"We don't know."**

 **"When is the next attack?"**

 **"We don't know that either. Apparently it might be some time before they make another attempt. They weren't expecting a new member to join and they want to take time to examine her too."**

 **"But they already did, they sent the Loki bot!"**

 **"It was initially meant for Thor."**

 **Everything fell silent once more. Great. So they were facing a common yet unknown enemy who's intentions they knew nothing about.**

 **"Well, the good news is that on our way back we managed to find the surveillance cameras and take them out." Said Barton, trying to lighten the mood a bit.**

 **"Yeah, that's true..." They all said, nodding. Other than that, though, the mission had been a disaster. They weren't able to find out anything more from their source.**

 **Since that was all cleared out, Steve decided to tell them about Anne and about his suspicions of this James.**

 **"It sure did sound a lot like Bucky from what she told me."**

 **All of a sudden, he saw Clint and Natasha flinch and exchange looks.**

 **"What?"**

 **They didn't answer. Just then, suspicion filled his mind. SHIELD had been watching Anne for months before they decided on recruiting her.**

 **"It was him, wasn't it?"**

 **He stood up.**

 **"Steve..."**

 **"No... No, I understand! Secrets protect people! That's always what it's about isn't it? SHIELD? Deceit." He went straight up to Nat and grabbed her by the collar of her suit.**

 **"How long have you known?"**

 **"St-eve..."**

 **He was suffocating her.**

 **"How... Long...?"**

 **"About seven months..."**

 **He let her go. She was gasping for air. Steve, obviously angry, was about to leave the room when he turned around again and looked the two agents in the eyes.**

 **"Soldiers fight together and tell each other everything so that they stay safe, but friends tell each other everything because they care enough to know when it's the right thing to do."**

 **"Steve..." Nat tried to stop him, but he had already left the room.**

 **He went straight to the training room and started punching the punching bag and then just let himself go, nearly disintegrating it.**

 **It WAS Bucky, and Natasha had known all that time. She knew how important it was for him to find his friend, she knew.**

 **Bucky had been his best friend since infancy, and had never left his side. And now, he had disappeared again.**

 **At least now he might be able to get the whole truth from Anne. At least now she might tell him if he had become himself again.**


	10. Chapter 10

I couldn't NOT include Bucky in this because I think he is like one of the coolest Marvel characters ever! I hope you guys like it! Please review! ;)

10.

Finally the day came that Anne could get out of bed again. It felt so liberating to be able to move again. She was on crutches, but that still didn't stop her. She went upstairs and downstairs, went through all the hallways at least twice and kept going round and round again.

No one could stop her from moving, and, fromTony's part of view, no one actually wanted to because it was so much fun to watch her.

Bruce kept telling her she should keep it easy, and she tried for a while, but she just felt the necessity to keep going.

Things seemed to be going back to normal at the Tower too. Everyone was still keeping a close eye out for any Hydra attacks, but the carefreeness had returned. Pepper even got back from her buisness trip from Hong Kong.

Now that she was Stark's C.E.O. , she was often gone on buisness.

Anne woke up early one morning and went downstairs to find Thor sitting at the table eating breakfast by himself.

"Ah! Anne! What a joyous occasion to see you standing once more! Come! Join the feast!"

Anne almost burst out laughing. The feast was, obviously, pop tarts. Thor just loved them! He loved how you just put them in the toaster and they would just pop out.

He handed her a cinnamon pop tart and started devouring another box. He ate like four of them.

"How good it is to you doing so well! I do believe you shall stand soon!"

"I wouldn't get my hopes up. Banner says it might be a few more weeks before I can start walking on it again. I'm just glad he took the casts off!"

"And how is your arm?"

Anne moved it and showed him how strong it had already become from jumping around on the crutches.

"Good as new. I just can't wait to start training again. I hate being inactive. "

"Ah, yes it is quite dreadful. I too once took a terrible fall! My father would not allow me any gaming with my companions for many a fortnight!"

By companions Anne took that he meant "friends" and by gaming he probably meant "going out to play".

She liked how he talked. She thought it cute.

After his seventh box of pop tarts, Barton came and joined them.

"Guess I can't dump water on you today either, huh?" He said looking at Anne.

"You can try, but I won't guarantee what will happen next.." And they both chuckled.

"So, what's on the agenda today? More dangerous bungee crutching? Or do you plan to jump off the roof with your crutches?"

"Actually, I was planning to step on your feet with them." She answered, already getting into position.

"Ah! Not today!" And he knocked one out of her hand.

"Hey! No fair! I'm injured here!"

"So you say! But where's the proof? Who tells me your not just using them as an excuse to beat me to death?"

The young girl burst out laughing. How he did it, she never knew. It was just in his nature, she guessed, other than a defense mechanism.

"No... No one!" She replied still giggling.

Those were the mornings she was beginning to cherish. They were fun, without any worries or cares and she was starting to forget all she had been through and moving on.

She hadn't even thought about her father or Bucky for the last few days. At least, not that she recalled.

All of a sudden, even Tony appeared.

"Shakespeare, Legolas." He greeted. And then he turned to Anne, pressuring his brain to find a funny name for her.

"Can't find anything?"

"Just wait a second Arrowette! Oh, that reminds me... I have to show you something."

"I'm touched Tony, but I just don't think we're right for each other."

Barton spit out his cereal and starting gasping for air while trying to laugh at the same time. Even Thor got the joke and couldn't hold back a diverted smile and a small chuckle.

For the first time in history, she supposed, Stark didn't have a comeback ready. He got so angry at himself that he just said: "Come on." And dropped it there.

Anne followed him to what she called the suit room. He kept everyones suits there. She had been there a thousand times, but she had never noticed the glass tube on the far left. Inside it was a dark green suit.

"It is with great disgust that I hand over to you your own personal avenger suit."

The pants were in green leather, the belt was brown. Then there was a hard brown leather corset, with two brown leather gauntlets and a brown leather archer's glove. The hood, that started from the shoulders, was the same color as the pants and the brown leather boots came up to her knees.

"Now this looks like regular leather, but being an incredible genius I obviously couldn't just let you run around in some medieval costume, so I designed a stronger, bullet proof leather. Adding to my genius, I also made you this..."

Out of a juror, he pulled out a black stick and gave it to Anne.

"What is this supposed to be?"

"Press the button, genius."

She pressed and out of nowhere, the stick started constructing itself into a black compound bow. Anne just stared at it amazed.

"Wow... Wasn't expecting that."

"Oh and this too."

He handed her a quiver full of arrows. Many of them were black, others were blue or green.

"Let me make this very clear. Even Legolas got this one, so you shouldn't have any problems. The blue one's go boom and the green ones go "zzzzzz". Got it?"

Anne couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you Tony. For everything."

"Ow... Is this one of those emotional moments? Because I don't do emotional."

She giggled.

"Besides, I didn't do it for you. I did it for Pepper."

"Pepper?" She asked adding a tone of sarcasm.

"Of course! If I hadn't, how would Pepper have survived?"

While he got back in the elevator, the girl cried:

"You know, you're really just a big softy at heart!"

"Not true!" And the elevator doors closed on his convinced look.

The girl turned back to look at the suit. It was perfect. Everything she had ever imagined it would be. A mix of old and new and she loved the touch of the hood. She loved hoods. And she loved green.

When she went back upstairs, the Avengers were sitting on the sofa, in front of the TV watching Arrow.

"Hey! That was one of my favorite TV shows!" She exclaimed. Tony turned around as sarcastic as ever and said.

"Now, why doesn't that surprise me?" Putting enfaces on Why and Doesn't.

"Hahaha Tin Man, watch the Wizard of Oz much?"

"You know that SHOULD hurt, but strangely, it doesn't."

And he turned back around happy and satisfied.

"Hahaha..." Was Anne's reply and she sat next to Steve.

After a while they turned the TV off and started doing other things. Strangely, no one noticed Anne had stopped using her crutches. No one except Steve.

When she got off the couch, he saw her flinch.

"You know, you really should keep using those crutches for a while."

"I'm fine, Cap."

But just as she set her foot back down, a shooting pain went through her leg. And she would have fallen on the floor had Steve not caught her just in time and picked her up.

"Now, lets see where you left those crutches."

Anne sighed.

"My room."

Steve held her in his strong arms and walked her up to her room.

It was strange, that feeling she had being in his arms. It made her blush.

She felt the warmth of his body against hers and felt his breath upon her cheek.

All of a sudden, she found herself thinking of what would happen if she just pulled herself up and kissed him.

But she didn't have time to imagine it, because as soon as they were in her room, he set her back down and helped her to her crutches.

"And don't stop using them until you're sure okay?"

And he gave her a big smile and left.

"Yeah, yeah... Sure..."

Anne couldn't stop thinking about his arms around her, his breath, his beating heart...

That was something she hadn't felt in a while, that feeling...

Not since James.

But things didn't start getting weird around them. Anne disguised her feelings perfectly.. She always had.

About a week later, she felt safe enough to abandon her crutches again and this time she had more success. She could almost walk perfectly now, but she still had to take it slow. Banner and Rogers's orders.

By now, she had bonded with almost all of them. Nat was never there and neither was Pepper, but she was glad of this because she hadn't really liked Natasha since day one.

She and the Captain were getting on great. They would talk, laugh and she would make him listen to all her favorite music and he would tell her about the old days.

Living with the Avengers was really starting to warm to her.


	11. Chapter 11

11.

One evening Pepper came home, all nervous and announced that they were having an impromptu dinner party.

"It's a buisness thing!" She answered when they started asking questions.

All of a sudden, the Tower was upside down. The preparations were being taken care of by hired men and the Avengers just stood there, not knowing wether they should stay or leave.

Suddenly, Anne felt someone take her by the hand. It was Natasha.

"Well, if we have to go to a dinner party, we might as well go find some kind of fancy pants dress. Come on, we're going shopping."

"But... I don't have any money!"

Natasha pulled out a credit card with Stark written all over it.

Anne just smiled and followed Nat out the door.

First they went to Prada, then Gucci and at last Burberry.

Anne didn't feel right spending Tony's money, but Nat assured her that she had asked before taking it, something she seriously doubted.

Nonetheless, she didn't want to spend much on the dress.

Unfortunately, the only dress she found that she liked was Burberry.

A short pale pink dress that she just fell in love with, but refused to buy since it cost over a thousand dollars. But Nat had decided to buy it for her anyway and pulled out her own credit card.

"Nat! Please, don't! It's really too much money! I couldn't wear a dress that cost that much!"

"Oh, stop your whining... Come on, we're going to get make overs."

It was time. Anne felt so strange. She looked in the mirror, but she couldn't see the girl she once was. She was looking at a stranger. Her hair was slightly curled, her lips a deep red, her eyes opened with eyeliner, her cheeks rosy... For the first time in her life she was wearing high heels. No, she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a woman. But she still couldn't believe that was her.

"See, you look great! It just takes a little makeup..."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" She asked a bit shaky.

"Come on! We're women! Dresses are part of are nature!"

Under her breath, Anne whispered: "Well, they're not part of mine."

Steve was talking to the others when she came out behind Nat. Natasha was wearing a black tube dress with layers. She was the first to distract, especially Bruce, but then Anne came out.

If eyes had dropped on Romanoff a few seconds, they lingered for ten minutes on the other girl.

Steve's mouth dropped when he saw her.

He hardly even recognized her. She was taller with the heels and the dress and the makeup made her look older. For once, she didn't look like a kid, but like a grown woman.

"Don't drool." Whispered Barton from behind him, but even he was very surprised.

The girl walked right up to them without even thinking and would have fallen if Steve hadn't caught her.

"Sorry... It's these heels! I've never worn heels before..."

Her face had turned beat red. But Steve was still speechless until he finally said: "Don't mention it."

He just kept staring at her though. After a while, she started to feel more embarrassed then before.

"Hey, why don't you two dance!" Exclaimed Natasha from behind. She was dancing with Barton.

At the same time they both said: "I don't know how." And looked at each other.

"Huh! You two might have more in common than you think!"

And she went back to dancing.

"We could give it a try..."

Steve tried to seem as calm as possible.

"Yeah, I guess."

He took her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.

For a while they slow danced, trying to coordinate their movements, but after a while, they just let go, staring into each others eyes.

"Do you think we're doing alright?" Anne asked giggling.

"Well, no one's pointing or laughing so far, so I'd say we're doing fine."

She laughed again and looked back up at him.

Steve smiled. He liked it when she laughed. All of a sudden, he started to lean in. Anne's heart starting beating fast.

"Am I interrupting something very romantic?"

Tony showed up out of no where.

"You know, he's a little old for you."

Anne and Steve separated. And that evening they didn't talk to each other any more.


	12. Chapter 12

Anne was sleeping deeply.

Then something stirred.

She woke up.

A figure was standing beside her bed.

She pulled out a knife from under her pillow and jumped backwards.

"Who are you?!"

The figure did not answer.

Should she dare? She did.

Anne turned on the light and the knife fell from her hand.

"Bucky..."

It was him. Bucky. He was just standing there, an impassible look on his face. He was exactly as she remembered him.

The girl took one step forward and then one back again. Suddenly, a threatening thought grew in her mind.

Why was he so still? She needed proof it was really him.

Anne picked up the knife once more and with all the strength she had in her body, through it at him.

The robot didn't even bother to stop the hurling knife coming right at him, because as soon as it hit him it bounced right back off again.

Anne felt the rush of disappointment run through her.

Then the Robot turned to her and a small grin appeared on his face. Bucky's eyes were empty as he turned and went straight towards Anne.

But this time, she wouldn't take risks. She knew what she was up against.

She screamed immediately and her many footsteps suddenly come from down the hallway.

They had heard her.

"Nice call. You always were so smart, Anne. Maybe that's one of the reasons I decided to stay with you. But I'm afraid that won't be enough this time."

She felt shivers all down her spine. That was Bucky's voice. His exact voice.

Just then, Anne heard the footsteps stop. What had happened?

"You didn't think I would come alone did you?"

Her face turned pale. She couldn't beat him, she knew this. She needed a distraction.

"Poor little Anne. Always alone in her pain. For a while you had me, didn't you? But I'm afraid I used you ill."

All of a sudden, Steve burst in the room, another Bucky robot following him.

"On the head Anne!" He yelled before the other Bucky bot attacked him again.

"There's a button on the head!"

"Well that's convenient" she thought.

Now she just had to prepare herself to shut him off.

"Oh Anne... I'm so sorry for what happened."

No. Not here. Not now. How could they possibly know what had happened?

"I made you believe I loved you, but it was just a lie, all of it."

Anger. Anger was rising up.

"I think you've said enough Robot. Prepare to be terminated."

Now she didn't want to just shut it off. She wanted to rip it to pieces.

"And that night..." The small grin appeared once more as he kept moving towards her, but he never finished that sentence. Anne had ran against the wall, bounced off of it and fallen on his shoulders.

Steve rejoiced to see that she was going to turn it off. But that's not what she did. Not only did she shut it down, but she forced her knife into the neck and ripped the damned thing's head off.

Anne jumped down and the inanimate body fell to the floor.

Steve had already shut his off.

"Wow. I thought they were made of Adamantium..."

"Everything has it's weak spot Steve."

And she was graver than he had ever seen her.

Even the others put up quite a fight. Each of them had had their own robot. Only Anne and Steve seemed to have the same one.

"Now their trying to use our pasts against us with people we cared about."

The young girl was curled up on the sofa in her father's sweatshirt, sitting next to Steve. He had a thousand questions to ask her, but he didn't know how to start. Fortunately, he didn't have to.

"Why was your robot the same as Steve's?" Asked Bruce.

Surprise filled her expression.

"I thought Steve told you. He was the one who trained me."

"Yes, I know that. I just didn't think you would care so much for them to actually use his image against you."

Her face turned pale.

"I cared about him. He helped me."

No one asked any more about it, satisfied with the reply. But Steve didn't feel the same way. He just had to wait to bring it up at the right time again.

"Now, that makes more sense."

Tony was examining the robots.

"These robots are made of a strong metal, but not Adamantium. These must have just been some kind of warning bots."

"So that's why she could rip the head off of it." Said Steve, lost in thought.

"Yeah, I think your girlfriend has serious anger issues, Cap."

Steve just shook his head. Anne wasn't his girlfriend.


	13. Chapter 13

So, we seem to be getting closer and closer to who Anne is really. ;) Please review! I need to know if you guys are liking it or not :) And which couple are you liking most for now?

13.

"WHERE ARE THE OTHERS?!"

"Well, she sure knows how to intimidate, I'll give her that..."

Anne held the man up against the wall. He was terrified.

"I-I don't... Know..."

"DON'T LIE TO ME!"

The man started shaking uncontrollably. Anne pulled an arrow out of her quiver and stuck in quickly in his sleeve, making him believe she was going to stick it in his hand.

He screamed.

"The next one's going in for real... So, I'll ask again. Where are they?"

"They-they'll kill me."

"And what did you think I was going to do?"

A cruel grin appeared on her face. The only part of her face that he could see. The horror and terror grew up inside him. When he didn't answer, her grin vanished and she stuck another arrow in his hand.

He screamed out the information.

Anne smiled.

"See? Was that so hard?"

"What-what are you going to do with me?"

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything with you. But they will."

Nat and Clint fell from the roof and landed right in front of her.

"Hello. Now that the scary part's over. You're coming with us to SHIELD. Any objections?"

And Barton pointed an arrow to his head, smiling.

"Good job, Robin Hood. I've never seen anyone scare the crap out of someone like that."

"And you haven't seen anything yet."

The young girl smiled. It felt great to get back on the field again. But somehow, it seemed like that light that have filled her life those last two months was starting to fade again.

When they got back to the Tower, they told the others what they knew.

"The headquarters Hydra has been functioning in Europe. Somewhere on the italian alps. He didn't know anything more. Apparently they take secrecy so seriously they don't even tell their own agents."

"How do we know he wasn't lying?" Asked Steve confused.

"Trust me. I saw the look in his eyes. He wasn't lying." Was Anne's grave reply. That fear. She had seen pure fear in his eyes.

That was the part of that job that she didn't miss. Inflicting pain and fear in the hearts of other men and women.

The young girl stood up.

"If everyone's done questioning me, I'm going to wash up."

She wanted to say "to wash the blood off my hands", but she didn't want them to see her lip quiver.

She went up to her bathroom and started washing her hands, but the more she washed them, the more they felt dirty.

She sighed remembering the first time she had felt that way. She should have been used to it by now, but she just wasn't.

Torturing was hard and it weighed on her conscience.

Their pursuit didn't end there though.

The next day, they went out again. This time, all of them. They needed more information before flying off to Europe.

Anne wasn't used to flying, but, by that logic, she wasn't fond of aircrafts at all. They made her extremely nervous.

Tony was flying beside them, as was Thor. With such nonchalance that it seemed the most natural thing in the world.

For some reason, the young girl just wouldn't seem to calm down.

"Hey, calm down. It's just a mission."

Yeah. That helped. She already knew it was just a mission, but something told her that there were hidden truths in what was happening to them.

The attacks, the robots... Something just didn't quite add up. And how on earth had they known about Bucky?

Steve hadn't asked yet. He just couldn't seem to bring himself to do it. For all he was concerned, her past was her own buisness. So why did it bother him so much?

"Steve, I need you and Anne on the field now. The rest of us will give you aerial cover."

The two nodded and, without even a second thought, jumped from the plain. Both of them without parachutes. But they actually didn't seem to need them, for they both landed with extreme grace and agility. Most importantly, without even so much as a scratch.

Anne put her hood up once more.

They were standing on what looked like an old battle field, but now it was covered with snow.

"Do we have a plan?" She asked the Captain, unaware of what they were really trying to do.

"We should search the base. Do not engage in attack until I have told you to, okay?"

The girl nodded and followed the leader.

It took them a while to find the base in all of that desolation, especially with a snow storm blowing them left and right. At last, though, they saw a large grey construction.

"What is that?"

"Our target."

Steve tucked his shield on his back and pushed forward. The storm was getting stronger.

Finally they entered the seemingly abandoned warehouse and closed the door to get away from the cold.

"Are you sure they're here?"

It truly did seem abandoned. There was nothing but an old desk in the room.

"Let's start looking."

They pressed on the walls, the floors, picked up the desk and pushed on the wall behind it, but nothing.

"Wow. This must really be an abandoned warehouse."

Steve saw the annoyed grin on her face and wondered if they really had been wrong. Then it came to him.

"Wait here."

Anne watched as the Captain opened the door and went back outside.

After a few minutes he came back and nodded. He had found the passage.

It wasn't really hard to find after all. A simple shed door that went under the metal hut.

They climbed down the narrow stairway holding their breath, Anne with an arrow already sitting on her bow, ready to shoot.

The more they went down, the more the air was close.

It was becoming actually suffocating. Anne could feel drops of cold sweat on her brow. She could sense her heavy breathing and her blood pressure going down. This wasn't good. Something was terribly wrong.

The more they walked, the more their strength gave out.

For forty minutes they went on like this, until the girl, with no air left in her lungs, said:

"Steve! We have to go back! I can't breath!"

The Captain turned round and saw the young girl falter. She wasn't a super soldier like him. She couldn't resist much longer.

"Go back. I have to keep going. It's my mission."

Anne stared at him blankly, without saying a word.

"Anne, go back. I can handle this on my own."

Still, she said nothing. Steve glared at her, confused.

"Anne?"

Suddenly, she fell face down. With those words, her lungs had given out. When he realized what had happened, he picked her up and started running to the exit as fast as he could. But something had changed. A door shut going up the stairs.

So he tried running back down, but another door shut.

It was a trap. It had all been a trap.

For the first time in his life, Captain America started to panic. One of his friends was dying and he was trapped. But that wasn't the worst thing.

Even being a super soldier, Steve was still a human being, and even he had been struggling with the air.

"Natasha! Get down here! NOW!"

"Steve? What's wrong? Steve?"

But he never replied, for in that moment, his lungs gave out as well, and the two lay passed out on the floor.

When she woke, her head was pounding and her arms were strapped to something cold.

What had happened? All she could recall was the close air and then fainting. Nothing more.

Anne opened her eyes. She was in a small room made entirely of metal and she was strapped to a metal, vertical table.

On another table next to her was Steve.

That wasn't right.

"Steve?"

He didn't answer. Now she was truly afraid. Why were they there? Where were the others? Why hadn't they come for them? Anne started to panic.

"Steve? Please answer! STEVE!"

"Ahhh! Miss Knight! It it such a great pleasure to meet you!"

Anne turned around. In front of her was a man dressed in a long white robe. Now, she had no experience with these things, but she knew that that was never good.

"I was hoping you would wake before the injection."

His accent. He was german.

"Injection? What injection?"

"Well, we thought that since finally we had you in our grasp we would try it on you."

Fear. She was flooded by it now that she noticed what was in his hand. It was small, yet very clear to distinguish. A needle. And he was getting closer to her.

Anne started to struggle, trying to break herself off the table.

"You see, we have tried the same serum twice now. Once on Mr. Rogers and once on Mr. Barnes."

Bucky. What the hell had they done to Bucky?

"What have you done to him?"

"Nothing, for now. We are only interested in you. A female subject. And a strong one too! We have been watching you since you met Mr. Barnes."

"WHERE IS HE?"

The smug grin on the man's face disappeared.

"Unfortunately, we do not know. He escaped."

He had escaped. He was safe. But she was not.

"Now. Hold still or you shall ruin the procedure."

Anne turned to Steve once more.

"STEVE! STEVE PLEASE WAKE UP!"

But he did not.

"No need trying to call your friend. We have drugged him well."

But she wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"Steve... Please..."

It was too late, and she knew this.

A tear fell on her cheek as the man stuck the needle firmly in her arm. Then the pain started. It was like fire running through her veins. She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Just then, Tony and the others burst in.

Clint shot the man in the shoulder and ran over to her quickly.

"What's wrong with her?!" Cried Natasha.

Bruce picked up the needle lying on the floor.

"We need to get her back to the Tower! Now!"

"I shall take her!"

Thor unstrapped her from the table and Tony suit back up and they were both headed off full speed to the Tower.


	14. Chapter 14

Woah! Big surprises are right up ahead! Well, some surprises at least... :) Please review!

14.

Tony set her on a table. Anne kept screaming.

"She's going in cardiac arrest!" Someone cried. She couldn't tell who.

I'm dying! She thought. I'm dying!

She screamed again. Her body. It wasn't hers anymore.

"Natasha?! Where are you?! We really need Bruce!"

Anne didn't hear the reply. Everything went dark.

Tony and Thor watched as her struggling body suddenly just stopped. She now lay completely still.

"No!"

He checked her heart rate. It hadn't stopped. So why had she just stopped moving? Had she just passed out point blank? If she was fine, he needed to examine the needle.

Thor watched over her why Tony ran tests. The young girl seemed fine now. So what had actually happened?

"Uh oh..."

"If I am not mistaking "uh oh" is a remark of disappointing surprise in your language."

Tony didn't think it was time to joke. Not now.

"No, it means it's bad. Really bad."

When the others arrived, Steve was conscious, but breathing heavily. They had given him a lot of drugs to keep him under. Natasha and Clint had had to help him on the jet and Bruce had had to remove the substance from his veins.

It had taken him a while.

Once they were back at the Tower, they noticed Tony was waiting for them, sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands.

"What's wrong? Is Anne okay?"

Steve couldn't help but ask. It had all been his fault. He should have never trusted that place so blindly. He should have noticed something was wrong when the air started closing in on them.

"Oh, she's fine. Well, if by fine you mean still alive."

Tony suddenly arose. He was angry. Very angry. He went straight over to Steve and everybody thought he was gonna punch him in the face, but he stopped.

"Would you like to explain to me why you lied to us?"

"What?"

"About the serum they used to make you a super hero. Why did you lie?"

"I..."

"You said the last of it was destroyed."

"It was! I made sure of it myself!"

"Then would you like to explain to me WHY ANNE HAS BEEN INJECTED WITH IT?!"

Silence. Everyone was under shock. Steve couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"W-what?"

"Oh yeah, didn't I mention? Anne, ladies and gentlemen, has been injected with the same serum that Cap here was injected with in 1944. Incredible, isn't it? Not to mention the damage it might have caused to her brain and the fact that she almost went into cardiac arrest."

They were all speechless.

"It was destroyed... I was there."

"Could they have made another one?" Asked Bruce.

"I don't know. All I know is that they injected Anne and we have no idea of the collateral damage it could have done."

Her eyes opened slowly. Was she dead? No. It didn't feel like death, and her room seemed to be the same. Had it all just been a dream?

No. The pain had felt too real. It couldn't possibly have been a dream. Anne moved. Her muscles ached.

Unaware that everyone was in the room, Anne tried to sit up. Pain. It shot through her spine like a dart.

She grunted.

"Anne?"

Startled she accidentally jerked her fist against the bed and a piece of wood broke off. Shocked, she jumped up and the bed fell to the floor. Even more terrified, she backed away against the wall.

Bruce stood up and went towards her holding his hands out to calm her down.

"Hey, calm down! It's okay! You went through a few changes when you were asleep..."

"Changes?!"

She was panting. She was panicking.

"Yes. You're a bit stronger than you remember."

That's when she remembered. The serum. The injection. The excruciating pain. The others watched her, waiting for her to speak again, but she was in deep thought.

When she had calmed down, she looked up. Her cheeks turned red when she unexpectedly she asked:

"How do I look?"

Silence fell. The others looked at her confused.

"So let me get this straight... You've just woken up after some serious pain and undergoing a serum that gives you super strength and all you want to know is how you look?"

Asked Tony.

Clint suddenly burst out laughing.

"She's afraid she's turned into some kind of Macho Man like Steve!"

Anne looked even more embarrassed. Natasha giggled.

"Don't worry, kid. You're the same as before. Sure, you have a few more muscles, but not like Steve's."

The young girl nodded, still not convinced. So finally Nat took her by the hand and put her in front of a mirror.

Anne was surprised. She hadn't hardly changed at all. Like Natasha said, she had a few more muscles on her arms and she seemed a bit more shaped, but nothing drastic. She was still herself, and actually, she looked a bit better. More feminine.

"I don't expect they thought you were ever getting out of there. That's probably why they used the serum on you."

Bruce himself, though, didn't seem all too convinced about that affirmation.

Steve hadn't said a word.

Fortunately, Anne's new found strength didn't really change a thing. Of course, she was stronger, a lot stronger, probably strong enough to punch down a wall with bare hands, but she got used to it after a few days.

She had to be careful, but thankfully she could actually feel her strength inside herself.

After the events of the past few days, though, she felt drained. Mentally and physically. She just wanted to relax for a few days.

So Nat and Clint took up the mission once more by themselves. They had handed over the man that had hurt her over to SHIELD for interrogating. But that didn't seem to be getting them anywhere. The man swore fidelity to Hydra and swore he would never tell them anything.

This was a problem, but it was no longer any of the Avenger's buisness. This had become a SHIELD matter now and they didn't want anyone else involved. Of course, neither Tony or Steve were going to do this. They both wanted an explanation and so did the others. No. The Avengers would not let it go. But for now, they were simply taking their time, waiting for the right moment to attack once more.

One evening, Anne announced she wanted to watch a movie.

"What movie?"

"I don't know. A movie. All together. It's about time we did something normal for a change and I really need normal right now."

This was understandable. They had all felt the need to do something normal and a movie seemed like just the trick that would do it.

Nat and Clint were even going to be there that night.

So they all picked a movie together: Jane Eyre.

It was a bit dark and disturbed, but Anne loved the story. She thought it the greatest romantic novel of all time.

Apparently, though, she was the only one. After forty minutes, Nat got up.

"This is so corny. I'm going to bed."

Anne asked her to stay, but she wouldn't have no firm answer.

"So... When do things start exploding?" Asked Clint shortly after.

The girl turned to him, amazed by such a stupid question.

"They- they don't Barton..."

"Hmmm... I'm out." And he too got up and left.

After two minutes Bruce got up too.

"I'm sorry Anne. I really do like it, but there are some things I'd like to check out before I go to bed. You know, the robots and all..." And so he left too. At least he had a plausible excuse.

Another ten minutes passed and Tony started snoring. Fake snoring. Pepper elbowed him in the stomach and pulled him off the couch, a "I'm so sorry!" look on her face as they left.

Finally, it was only Steve and Anne.

The movie suddenly became uninteresting to her as she stared at the Captain. He had hardly said anything since they had been in that warehouse.

"You know, it wasn't your fault, what happened..."

"A good soldier always protects his companions."

"And you would have protected me if you could have. It wasn't your fault. No one is perfect Steve. Not even you could have foreseen this."

She smiled. A sweet smile that stole one from him as well. He loved it when she smiled. It was just so kind and tender that no one would have guessed what horrors she had been through and what she had secretly become.

Now he knew her character. It had taken a few months to figure her out, but now it was as clear as day.

She was lost. Yes, lost. And this state she was in made her nervous, irritable, irascible and angry. It even added a certain selfishness to her character, something he guessed wasn't there before when she was younger.

But then there was the other part of her. Because deep down, Anne Knight had a soft side. She was sweet, kind, giving, caring, loving and docile. And he was sure this part of her still existed. He had seen it, in the little things. And those were the ones that mattered. Even now, she was showing how much she cared and trusted him as she once did. Yes, she was lost, but there is always a light in the dark and she had it. If only she would harness it instead of putting it out...

"Steve?"

That loving look again. It made him feel better.

"That's not what bothers me."

"Then what?"

"The serum."

Anne flinched, as he knew she would. She still wasn't happy with what they had done and he could sense her strong anger towards the man that had inflicted her so much pain.

"I thought it was all destroyed. I should have made sure of it."

Anne shook her head.

"Oh, Steve... Did it ever occur to you that they may just have made some more? I'm sure they've found the formula by now, if not a better, stronger one. Didn't you say they put you in some kind of machine to make it work?"

"Yes, but..."

"Well there was no need for that with me. There are always going to be people who try to make the initial project, trying to perfect it. I'm sure the serum they used on you WAS destroyed. Again, this isn't your fault."

Steve smiled. She was right. Had he ever mentioned how smart she was? And wise?

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Make me feel better?"

Her eyes were wide open and as was her smile.

"Because, I know you."

"Well that's all I need to know..."

And they smiled at each other. Anne turned beat red. She couldn't understand what he was thinking, so she turned to the movie again.

"I wish I had that."

"What?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Love." Her answer was so simple yet so pure and deep. But this gave Steve enough initiative to ask about something that had been tormenting him for those past months.

"Did you ever have it?"

"I thought I had. Once. But I was a fool. He never loved me."

"How do you know?"

"Some things you just know. If things don't work out at the beginning then they never will. He just wasn't the man God is preparing me for."

What was that? Thought Steve. God. She had never mentioned her interest in him. Was she a believer like him?

"Are you a christian?"

"Does it surprise you? I mean, I know I haven't been forward about it, and I'm not completely a christian yet, but I aspire to be one."

He didn't understand. He had always thought that believers were just automatically christians.

"We're not christians if we just believe in God and in Jesus's word. Christians are the people that HEAR his word and dedicate their life to obeying him and trusting him and loving him every moment of their life. They're the people that find joy in everything they do and in everything they're given because they know that everything comes from God. They are the people that love him despite their hardships, knowing that one day, it won't be hard anymore and trusting in the promise he made us."

Anne sighed.

"I want to be one of those people, I really do, but I'm just not there yet I suppose. I feel like this trial will never end, but as he tells us, feeling isn't everything, but it's hard to not give it any weight. I think that is where I mess up the most. I give feeling too much importance when I shouldn't at all right now. Our hearts are deceiving and wicked and in the end, will try to drag us down."

He was amazed that she was telling him so much about herself. She seemed so reserved and closed and yet, with him, she was an open book.

Now, Steve felt a deep respect for that girl. She was struggling with faith more than she was with life itself, because she gave more importance to that than to anything else.

"Bucky..."

He didn't know why he changed the subject, but he felt he just needed to know the truth. Hearing his name startled her. Then she sighed.

"You know, huh?"

"Well... It wasn't that hard to figure out." And he smiled once more.

"You loved him."

"No. I thought I loved him. There is something very different between the two. I hardly even knew him. But, at the same time, I doubt he hardly even knew himself. We were both lost, Steve. I couldn't help him and he couldn't help me. What kind of relationship would that have been?"

The weight lifted from his shoulders. Finally, he knew. The truth seemed dewy sweet to him. He had spent his time wondering if... If she still loved him and if she missed him and if something had happened between them ever since he had heard that Robot speak. And now, even though he knew something most definitely happened, he felt much more inclined to a peaceful heart and mind.

They returned to their movie. Anne watched as Jane fell into despair when having to leave her dear Mr. Rochester.

Steve had been sitting beside her the whole time, but only now they seemed to be aware of each others presence. She felt the warmth of his body only a few inches away and craved his embrace. Little did she know he was craving the same thing.

The movie finally ended and Anne turned to Steve. They stared each other in the eyes for a few seconds. Then, Steve leaned in and his lips touched hers. Then, suddenly, they were eating away at them. And she was doing the same. They kissed passionately for a few moments and then Anne felt Steve's strong arms wrap around her. Steve, on the other hand, felt her fingers run through his hair and pull him closer.

Suddenly, they were aware of their bodies being so close one to another. Steve slowly leaned down, making Anne lay down on the sofa, still pulling him close. Then, she felt his chest against her and she wanted more. She wanted more of him and of that love that he was offering to her freely.

But then, Steve pulled her off the couch. They continued to kiss as he picked her up and headed to his room, that was the closest.

When they were inside, Anne pulled Steve's shirt off and he did the same with her top.

Then Anne found herself on his bed, every inch of her neck being kissed and her body being caressed. But she craved his lips on hers again.

She pulled him back and they started kissing once more, with much more passion. She felt him, but it was different with him then it had been with Bucky. With Bucky it had been passion and nothing more, maybe love only on her part. But with Steve, she felt the love coming from him. From his delicate touch to his tender caresses. Their bodies were one. She felt his warmth and wanted more of it. He pulled her closer because he loved her touch. And that night, everything seemed to start fitting again.

When Anne woke up, her head was on Steve's bare chest. She knew instantly that he was asleep because his breathing was regular and his chest was slowly going up and down. She took this chance and watched him. He seemed so peaceful and so handsome. His blonde hair, his mouth, his nose... She loved every inch of him. Every single part. But she especially loved the man he was. The great, great man he was.

Steve opened his eyes slowly and saw Anne looking at him and smiling.

"Good morning..."

"Morning."

And he leaned in and kissed her again. Man. He would never get enough of that.


	15. Chapter 15

**15.**

 **All that had happened seemed pointless now. Her, Steve, everything... Nothing seemed to have meaning anymore.**

 **A few months had passed since that night and a lot had happened during that short time.**

 **At the beginning, they were happy, really happy. Everything fit. He seemed to be the right person to bring her out of the dark, and he loved her. From that night on, they had spent most of their time together and for a while, everything was perfect again, for the both of them.**

 **But everything that had happened with Hydra, ruined that silly idea that they had had.**

 **Their relationship was not perfect. And it wasn't even their fault. Well, it definitely wasn't Steve's.**

 **Anne thought that she loved him. She convinced herself of it. After a while though, she realized that something was still missing. Someone.**

 **At the beginning, she couldn't believe her own thoughts. They were so absurd. Yet... They were so true.**

 **The love she had felt for Steve was sincere as far as it goes, but it wasn't enough. They were too different. Anne was too broken and Steve still felt the pain of leaving his old life behind. And her heart was still latched on to someone else's.**

 **But those feelings weren't what broke everything down.**

 **A few months had passed. Hydra hadn't attacked them through that whole ark of time, and everybody started to think that they had actually captured the master mind behind it all and not just a simple scientist. The serum affected Anne only physically and hadn't changed her much. At least, that was what they all thought...**

 **One night, she woke up in a cold sweat, shaking...**

 **It was a nightmare, she thought. Only a nightmare. She turned around and looked at Steve. It wasn't important. Definitely not the case to wake him up. She didn't want to disturb him. Besides, watching him sleep made her feel better. He was just so peaceful. She smiled. How did he do it? Even when he was asleep...**

 **Anne traced a finger on his strong chest and had a flashback.**

 **She had done the same thing in the middle of the night when Bucky was asleep.**

 **Suddenly, she found herself wishing he was there instead of Steve. But she just shook her head, as if that could get rid of that terrible thought.**

 **No. She was happy. She loved Steve. She was firmly convinced of this.**

 **Once the fear of the dream had worn off, she decided to go back to sleep, but found that it wasn't that easy.**

 **She tried to concentrate on Steve's breathing, hoping that it would lull her to sleep along with the movement of his chest. Up and down, up and down...**

 **After about an hour, though, Anne gave up and got up, trying hard not to wake him.**

 **Once she was out of the room she made her way to the kitchen. Maybe some cookies and a glass of milk would help her.**

 **She poured a glass of milk and pulled out some chocolate chip cookies that Pepper had desperately tried to make, and then she started to think about all that had happened.**

 **Fighting with the Avengers was awesome. It had become a weekly thing since the Hydra attack. They went out, kicked some butt and did everything they possibly could to get more information about what they were planning. But those Hydra guys always seemed so desperately loyal and would only give them some vague reply.**

 **Anne was in charge of the interrogations. Apparently, she was the best at it. Great. Just the thing to be proud of, she thought.**

 **Yeah, the fighting was great, but it was just so easy to take those guys out now that she was so strong, and it never lasted more than a minute. That's why she loved to train with Steve. They were equals now and could go on for hours without one besting the other.**

 **But even that had become boring, now. She had started going out at night again, but that hadn't worked at all. Steve would wake up and ask her questions and she would be forced to let it go.**

 **"What's wrong? Aren't you happy that everything's okay?" He would ask her. He thought it strange that she seemed so anxious to fight.**

 **Anne felt the need for it, though. She really had a physical need to fight. It had become an addiction since that day at the warehouse and she started fearing that maybe that had been one of the side effects.**

 **Another one was all the anger. She had never been so angry in her life. Everything got on her nerves. Everything and everyone. So she spent most of her time alone in the training room, beating the punching bags with all of the strength she was capable of, busting most of them.**

 **Steve had noticed this. Then again, he always seemed to notice, and he was worried about her.**

 **She saw the look on his face. Genuine love. She was wondering of late if she actually deserved such a look.**

 **Anne shook her head. That thought had been tormenting her for a long time. She didn't feel worthy, of any of their love and care.**

 **She felt so out of place there. She wasn't good like the rest of them.**

 **Little did she know that this was another side effect, that all of this was a part of a bigger plan.**

 **Anne got up. She really had to go back to bed before Steve noticed she was gone. Though, she did love how he always worried about her.**

 **She smiled and was going to put her cup in the sink when she saw a figure standing silently beside the couch, hidden in the dark.**

 **Startled, Anne dropped the glass, that shattered into a thousand pieces, but recomposing herself, got into a fighting stance.**

 **"WHO ARE YOU?!" She said in her most threatening voice.**

 **The figure came forward.**

 **Great. Just what she needed. Another Bucky bot. Anne just laughed.**

 **"Well, I don't know what your Hydra friends told you, but recently they turned me into a super soldier like the real Bucky and I'm really pissed off!"**

 **He just kept coming forward.**

 **"Oh, come on! No comments at all to bring me down or make me feel guilty? I'm disappointed! You guys are really getting bad at this!"**

 **Suddenly, the figure was standing only a few inches from her and Anne felt afraid. But why? She could easily shut that thing down.**

 **She tried to punch the thing down, but his normal arm stopped her fist, and that's when everything broke down.**

 **She felt the warm, pulsing hand that was holding her fist and shuttered and teared up. Anne stared up into his eyes, that were the only part of his face that wasn't covered and saw a fire inside of them. All at once, she started shaking uncontrollably.**

 **"B-Bucky?"**

 **He just tilted his head to the side and with his mechanical hand punched her in the face, knocking her out.**

 **Bucky looked at the unconscious girl laying on the floor, wondering why she had called him that. But that wasn't his mission. They wanted the girl, so he picked her small figure up and put her over his shoulder.**

 **Finally, he disappeared into the dark.**


	16. Chapter 16

16.

Something was disturbing his sleep. Was it the cold? No, he had always slept bare chested. Was it that he didn't feel Anne there? No. She always let him sleep in. So what was it? Knocking. Yes, someone was knocking. On his door. Steve got up slowly and started walking sleepily to the door, but before he could get there, Barton burst in.

"Is she here?!" He sounded terrified. All of a sudden, Steve felt wide awake. He had never heard Clint so afraid.

"Who?"

"Anne!"

Steve went pale.

"No... Why...?"

Barton started to panic and signaled the Captain to follow him.

They were all standing in kitchen, staring at the floor where a broken glass lay.

Steve just stared at the glass and started to panic. Then he just randomly started calling her in the Tower.

"Steve! Steve! She's not here... We've looked everywhere."

Natasha was also afraid. He could see it in her eyes.

"What happened?!"

Tony was going through the security cameras as fast as he could.

Suddenly, he stopped.

"This did..."

And he handed the tablet to Steve, the others gathering to watch behind him.

Bucky.

"Another Barnes-bot? Why didn't she just fight back?"

Nat was confused.

"Because that wasn't a robot." Was Steve's simple and grave reply. He knew she would never hurt the real Bucky or fight him. And the footage was evidence of that.

He watched as Anne started shaking and then whispered his name. He examined her terrified face. It wasn't hard to comprehend that that had been the real Bucky. But why would he do such a thing? Did they brainwash him again?

But that was of no importance. He needed to find Anne, and quick. Steve didn't want to find out what would happen once they got their hands on her.

Pain. Devastating pain, one of the likes she had never had the pleasure to experience. She didn't know if it was the pain of discovering Bucky was alive and had no memory of her ,of the pain of watching as one of the people she had most trusted handed her over to her enemies or of the pain of rediscovering those feelings she had thought lost forever.

She still loved him. Why, she didn't know, but she did and profoundly, no matter what.

Anne had woken hours ago, but had said nothing, not even when they started doing tests on her. Why? The answer was simple. James Buchanan Barnes was standing guard right in front of her, his mask off. Another reason was that she felt defeated. They had found her weak spot. Seeing him stand there, emotionless, like a machine, was tearing her apart.

He wasn't even looking at her. He was just standing there to make sure she wouldn't attempt to escape.

But she didn't even care anymore.

"Well, I am glad to see you are collaborating so well. It seems you caused a bit of trouble last time."

A man walked in. He was tall, of medium build, with thick bones and a full head of dark grey hair.

Anne didn't answer, she just kept staring at the floor, motionless.

"As you see, our friend here was of great help. You know him, I believe?"

Anne looked up, only to see Bucky turn towards the man, looking confused. So he WAS still a man, not just a machine. He still had feelings, a mind of his own...

This gave her a bit of hope. Or at least enough to answer the question.

"Yes, I do."

Bucky turned to her, even more confused. The hope grew more.

"I met him about a year ago."

Bucky looked down at the floor, trying to understand.

"Bucky, please... It's me. It's Anne."

He looked back up at her, his face still impassible.

"Who the hell is Bucky?"

No. That wasn't possible. The hope started to fade. The man, standing behind, watched them with a small grin on his face. He had planned it all perfectly. He wanted to see her break completely. That was why he was letting this happen.

"He's a great man! The man who trained me! The man who gave me a reason to fight! The man who made me who I am! The man that I loved..."

Something clicked. She saw him start to struggle.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes! You do! James... Please. Just remember."

James. That's what did it. The way she whispered his name. Nothing could make him forget that.

The memories came flooding again. All of a sudden, Anne saw Bucky's face light up with self consciousness and fear.

"Anne..."

He went up to one of the guards and punched him and then the fight started. Anne saw him fight tirelessly against seventeen men.

But soon he was immobilized.

The man came out of the shadows once more and switched on a light in a room across from that one. Anne could see it because it was separated only by a window. They dragged Bucky, with much difficulty into that room and strapped him to the chair.

Anne watched as he struggled and started struggling herself.

"You see, miss Knight. Now you may both suffer the pain of what is about to happen. You may watch each other suffer as all your memories are torn away."

"YOU DID THIS ON PURPOSE!"

"Of course..." He said, smiling.

"What better way to punish you from escaping than watching the man you love suffer?"

She then saw the machine act on him. She heard his screams.

"NO! PLEASE!"

Tears of anger ran down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry... But look. He still remembers you."

Bucky stared at Anne. No. Not to her. They couldn't do this to her. He had left to protect her, not to let her suffer his same fate. He started struggling once more. He had to save her. He loved her. No. This couldn't happen.

It was too late. He heard her screams. They were taking her memories. Wiping them until she was nothing but a machine. Then, it started on him once more, and the two watched helplessly as their love was washed away.

The search went on for days. Steve wouldn't eat or sleep until he had brought Anne home safely.

After two weeks, the others wearily retreated back to the Tower. None of them had slept.

"Steve... We have to stop for a few days. We all need to rest. Especially you."

Steve was still, standing on the desolate ground, silent.

"Steve. You can't go on like this."

Natasha had a point, but he couldn't stop. Not now. He needed her. He loved her. She had helped him in ways no one would ever understand. He needed to repay that at least by bringing her home safely.

"You and the others go back to the Tower and get some rest. I'm going to keep looking."

"Rogers..."

Natasha put her hand on his shoulder.

"Assuming she's still alive, we still have no idea of how to find her..."

"I'll find her..."

"But..."

"I'LL FIND HER!"

Agent Romanoff had never seen such rage and fear in his eyes as he turned and looked at her.

"I have to..."

Natasha nodded and urged the others back to the jet, leaving the Captain alone on the abandoned old Hydra base.

They had searched all the ones they knew of, but they were all truly abandoned. Now, he needed to look further on, maybe go back to where this had all started. To where Hydra had begun. Germany. But he needn't go that far.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! :) Sorry for the late update! Please review! ;)**

 **17.**

 **No, he needn't go that far at all. After three weeks of searching all around the United States, Steve decided it was time to leave for Europe.**

 **But he needed some things before he left.**

 **The Captain finally returned to the tower, exhausted, and while he was packing, fell asleep.**

 **He couldn't have kept his eyes open even if he had wanted to.**

 **How great a thing Hydra technology was! Yes, the original machine was genius, but this was just pure brilliance! He could wipe away any memories he decided to, and keep others if he wanted! That was what he had done with Barnes. He had kept the memory of her voice and of his love to use solely for Hydra's advantages. But now it was time to wash away all of them. Every single one.**

 **Now it was time for the girl. Ah! What beautiful memories! So pure and foolish! He could actually see them on a screen! Yes, what GENIUS!**

 **"Ah! What is this? A suppressed memory? Let us see..."**

 **She was only a little child. Maybe three of four at most. A woman was standing there.**

 **"Well, that is a strange dress... Where...?"**

 **He stopped. No. It couldn't be. She couldn't be. Not that girl. She had nothing special about her. No. It was impossible.**

 **But he kept that memory, just in case.**

 **When Steve awoke a figure was standing in front of him. A small female figure.**

 **The Captain jumped up and moved towards her. The figure was oddly motionless.**

 **"Anne?"**

 **The figure jumped forward and attacked him with a knife.**

 **Just in time, Steve was able to grab his shield and defend himself against the sudden attack.**

 **"Anne, what are you doing?!"**

 **But her eyes were empty, as if she didn't even know who he was.**

 **Despite the mask, just like Bucky's, he had recognized her immediately. But there was something different about her. She was wearing the same clothes Bucky wore, but fit to her feminine figure, and her gaze looked menacing.**

 **Anne kept attacking, leaving Steve no choice but to fight back.**

 **In the meantime though he tried talking to her. Maybe he would say something to make her remember.**

 **"Anne! It's me! Steve!"**

 **But that obviously meant absolutely nothing to her.**

 **"I love you!"**

 **Nothing. She kept attacking with all the strength in her body. And, truly, it was a lot.**

 **As before when training. They were equally matched. Anne would try a stabbing maneuver and he would block it. But this time it was different. Steve had already lost. He would never hurt her and they knew this, that was why they had sent her.**

 **That fight reminded him of the time he first fought Bucky in the parking lot.**

 **She twirled in the air, kicking him in the face. Then she tried another frontal attack. Steve got hold of her, and was at least able to remove her mask.**

 **Her face was impassible. She was there for a mission and wouldn't leave until it was finished.**

 **At first, he thought her mission was to kill him, but he had no idea of how wrong he really was.**

 **After a while, Steve was ready to give up. Anne was dead set upon beating him, and nothing he said or did changed that. They had made a mistake with Bucky, they would not do the same with her. Anne's memories of him were gone. Maybe forever.**

 **It wasn't Anne anymore. Just a war machine. A very dangerous one.**

 **When, finally, he let his shield fall and she was about to give him the deadly stroke, Clint and the rest of the Avengers burst in.**

 **The girl looked up. Her mission was terminated.**

 **She jumped up and with extreme agility, jumped silently out of the window.**

 **Everyone just stood there. Shocked. No one could believe what they had seen.**

 **Anne beating Steve to a pulp? No, it wasn't possible. But no one was more surprised than Steve.**

 **Bruce and Tony helped him into the healing room, where they set him down on the bed and Bruce started curing his wounds. Since Anne had left, he hadn't said one word.**

 **Bruce saw the pain that seeing Anne like that inflicted on him. She didn't remember him. How could she not remember him?**

 **They had brainwashed her, but they had done a better job this time. Everything he had said didn't even make her quiver. Not even a stutter. Her attacks had continued to be precise and determined.**

 **And the purpose for her being there was all the more cruel. Just to let them see her. Hydra just wanted them to know what they had lost. They wanted them to know that now they had no chance of beating them, ever. Because no one was going to hurt Anne, but she was surely going to hurt them.**

 **That had been their plan since the beginning. How clever Hydra truly was. Most definitely more clever than them.**

 **"Now what?" Tony asked when they were all in the same room again.**

 **"Now we find her and try to make her remember."**

 **Steve's voice was coarse. They could plainly see he was suffering.**

 **"No. That's not an option. They've brainwashed her, Rogers. And pretty well this time."**

 **"Natasha's right. Even with all our advanced technology, I couldn't even reverse the effects."**

 **Bruce was grave. He had cared for that girl like a father.**

 **"But maybe we could."**

 **Everyone turned to Thor.**

 **"In Asgard, we have many instruments of healing, of the sort you humans call "magic". "**

 **"And would that bring her memory back?"**

 **"I do not know. But we can make the attempt."**

 **Silence fell once more. So they had to find Anne. Great.**

 **"So, let me just get this straight... We're going to go after a psychopath Anne who wants to kill us, tie her down and drag her to Asgard?"**

 **They nodded.**

 **"Great. What are we waiting for?"**

 **Tony's humor usually pulled the mood up, but not that day.**


	18. Chapter 18

**18.**

 **Anne returned quietly to whence she had come. Entering the building, the men glared at her fearfully. She was a threat, and not just to the Avengers, but to all of them. She walked solemnly down the hallways until she finally reached the closet that they had given her to be her room and sat down on the bed.**

 **She stared into the empty space for some time, and then she proceeded to lay down.**

 **"She is doing very well I see, professor."**

 **"Yes. She obeys only us now. She has no recognition of her past life or of who she was."**

 **"And Barnes?"**

 **The professor that had brainwashed Anne and Bucky smiled at the other man.**

 **"He is now completely ours. Thanks to the genius of Hydra, we were able to perfect the machine and make it more adequate to our needs. He will never remember Steve Rogers again."**

 **"I'm glad to hear it. Some of us were starting to doubt his loyalty."**

 **The man stared at him with such intensity that a cold sweat ran down his forehead.**

 **"I can assure you, sir. Nothing like that will ever happen again."**

 **The man nodded.**

 **"And tell me, professor Deuss, what will happen if the Avengers get their hands on our little friend here?"**

 **The man had started to watch the girl once more. She just sat there. She had no conscience, no mind of her own, only a mission. A mission that they had given her. Anne was just their puppet now, and nothing more. Even the man she loved was only a target to her now. They had done that on purpose to break Steve Rogers confidence once more. First it had been Bucky Barnes, his best friend and now it was the woman he loved. What genius! To take the people he most cared about and turn them against him in such a cruel way that he would never even dare to hurt them.**

 **"Captain Rogers is the Avengers's leader. Break him and their whole system breaks down. Without him their nothing but a fighting group of buffoons."**

 **Deuss nodded, even though he didn't believe that to be true. Rogers was definitely a great strategic weapon, but he was not their leader. Most of them were very aware of his various conflicts with Stark and Banner. He was just and right, but he was also proud. A true soldier.**

 **"Maybe we shouldn't put her on the field much, though. Not until..."**

 **"Nonsense, Deuss! She's ready. Oh, and add the arm too."**

 **And the man gave her a look of pure malice. He had plans for her.**

 **Even if she had no conscience, that did not mean she had no feelings. She felt the excruciating pain as they ripped her left arm off and implanted the mechanical one on.**

 **Why were they doing that to her? Had she not been good enough? Had she not done her best to serve them? Was it because she had left that man alive? Nobody told her that she had to kill him.**

 **She screamed.**

 **"Give her morphine!"**

 **Suddenly, she felt a needle in her arm and the pain of the cut die off. Then, everything went dark.**

 **They searched everywhere, again and again. But nothing. Until they found the Hydra headquarters it would be impossible to track her down.**

 **And Bucky? He was with them too. And Steve felt it his duty to bring both of them back to the light. His best friend and the woman he loved. It seemed that Hydra was after HIM particularly.**

 **The weight on his shoulders that Anne seemed to lighten was piling up again.**

 **"Come on Rogers. If we don't find her, we'll always have the consolation that she might find us."**

 **But that was in no way a comfort to him. If she found them, that would mean she was on a mission.**

 **Anne didn't have a conscience anymore. They had more chances of taking her away without a fight if she didn't have any direct orders.**

 **But the weeks passed and nor Anne nor Bucky were anywhere to be found.**

 **And thus, Thor returned to Asgard, to inquire of Anne to Heimdell.**


	19. Chapter 19

19.

Desolation. The Captain breathed in. The air was dry and ashen cold. There had been war there. A long time ago.

A step in that silence seemed like a stroke of thunder.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. They're here."

They weren't looking for Anne and Bucky.

It had been a month now and Thor had returned with ill news. Heimdall couldn't see her.

Thus, they had no idea of where to look and had given up with the hope that they would turn up on their own sooner or later.

No, this was a very different mission. Of course, they were still searching for members of Hydra, but now they were only the distraction so that Tony could get in.

They were on the italian alps, in a forest near a huge fortress.

Tony swore.

"Language!" Steve said, and started fighting again.

"Barton's down!"

Natasha's voice came out like a cry.

They fought easily and beat Hydra easily. Finally they had retrieved Loki's scepter.

She went through constant training, even though she beat every single man very easily.

They even put her against the Winter Soldier a few times, but all they achieved with that were two very tired and still unharmed warriors.

To the professor, it was like some kind of sick entertainment.

Their fight was like a dance. They both knew each others weaknesses and strengths and it seemed they had sympathy for one another. Something that shouldn't have happened. They were getting more human like again. Of course they had no memories, but sooner or later they would realize that they had feelings and that they weren't just simple machines at Hydra's disposal.

Yet, Deuss wished to leave them a bit longer before stabilizing them once more.

It was just so much fun to watch them. Their coordination was perfect. Their movements elegant and agile. He had never seen anything like it. They were both born to fight, despite what their pasts might have been. It was just pure talent.

"It's beautiful... Their dance."

The man had returned. Deuss just nodded, hypnotized.

"They train better when they are together."

"I believe it. He was her teacher."

"Yes, but I believe that it is more than that, sir. I believe something still remains of their feelings for each other."

The man stared at him.

"Then get rid of them."

And he left without saying another word.

Deuss sighed. That man had no idea of who he was dealing with.

"Stop!"

The warriors instantly stopped. Maybe the sympathy he had detected was a part of his imagination.

The soldiers returned to their single rooms. They had gained some sort of conscience once more. At least now they could talk like normal people, or at least enough to give orders and lead some men.

They didn't have names. Or at least, Anne didn't. They called Bucky the Winter Soldier. She was just "her" .

She liked training with the Winter Soldier. At least, she thought she liked it. She didn't know what it was to like. All she knew was fear, anger and pain.

But this was different. It felt good. Was good the right word? And did he feel good too?

Before entering her room she turned round and looked at him. He looked back.

Something in his eyes gave her a glint of hope.

If it was hope at all. She didn't know what it was, but she liked it.

After a few months, Anne started to have nightmares. Now she had become a person.

She didn't know why they were letting her become more human. The first month, all they had done was put her on that machine, but now she could at least think more.

"We have a mission for you."

Anne turned grave.

"Do you remember that man from a few months ago?"

"Yes."

Professor Deuss smiled. He had done well. She was their soldier now. He could tell by the hatred in her eyes. He didn't know why she hated him, but they could definitely use that to their advantage.

"I want you to find him and bring him here. Alive."

The girl just nodded. Her hair had grown long now and was tied in a braid behind her back.

"Kill the others if you can. Make them fear you."

A nod. Yes, of the girl he had taken in, nothing more remained.


	20. Chapter 20

20.

Three months. It had been three months since they had last seen Anne.

Of course, with everything that had happened with Ultron, they had been busy and Steve had had a lot on his plate with training the new members to the Avengers program.

Now the new recruits were at SHIELD with Natasha. They weren't quite ready to participate in everything that they had built yet.

Nat was at SHIELD most of the time, now. Ever since Banner had disappeared. He had promised her they would leave together, but he didn't want her to keep that promise, so he left on his own. No one knew where he went.

Barton had retired to be with his family. The family nobody but Nat had known about. The wife and the two children, one more on the way, that he had said nothing about to anyone.

Clint had promised his wife that after the Ultron mission, that would be it for him. And he was determined on keeping that promise.

So he was gone as well as Banner, and with Thor having returned to Asgard, only he and Tony were left living in the Tower.

Steve sat back on the couch.

Everything he had been, everyone he had cared about... Everything had changed so much. He had hoped, more than believed that Anne would be his redemption. But now even she was lost to him.

Both the people he had loved the most and whom had loved him the most had become puppets to his enemies.

When he thought of the night Anne attacked him and the day that Bucky had fought him in the parking lot, he realized how much he was actually suffering.

Steve was usually the optimistic one, who never let anyone see the worst part of the situation.

But inside... It felt like everything was being torn to pieces, slowly and painfully.

Everyone thought he was adjusting to life there. He wasn't. He missed his home, his friends, the army camp, Peggy...

Steve shook his head. No. He couldn't remind himself of those days, it only made it all the more difficult to bear.

He had felt out of place there, though. It wasn't the world he had known and he hadn't even been sure he liked it that much.

Everything had changed with Anne. She had made the sorrow fade, ironically since she was suffering just as much as he was.

Hers was a different kind of pain though. She was TORMENTED. He was just extremely sad.

Steve had seen it in her eyes. The torment of a broken heart, the pain of losing a loved one, the confusion and anger of not knowing who she was or what she was supposed to do.

Yet, when her gaze set upon him, he could always see a glint of light, and that single look filled him with a warmth that he hadn't felt since 1945.

He needed her and she needed him.

Steve sighed once more and got up. It was useless to keep thinking about it. Sooner or later they would show up and that day it would either be his beginning, the beginning of a new life, a better one, or it would be his end.

Steve left early for his morning run. He never got up later than the break dawn, because he had always seen the sunrise during training on the army camp, so he didn't see why it should be any different then. Besides, it made him feel more at home.

But that morning, something was terribly wrong.

He had been running for ten minutes when he heard screams coming from the park.

The Captain started running faster until he reached the place where the screams had come from.

Now, though, the only thing he could see were people running for their lives, terrified, and a figure in the distance with a metal arm.

"Bucky?" He asked himself. No. It was impossible. The figure was more petite. Bucky was big, this person seemed small even. But it couldn't be Anne either. She didn't have a metal arm.

Steve caught up with the figure, that just stood there, waiting.

Her long red hair was now tied behind her back and her left arm had been replaced with a metal arm.

"Anne, what have they done to you?"The Captain asked himself.

Whomever had taken her arm would pay for it sooner or later.

The girl saw him and a cruel grin appeared on her face under her mask.

Apparently her little show had worked. It was luring him in.

All of a sudden, the park was empty. Only Anne and Steve remained, staring at one another.

She started walking towards him and in that precise moment, Steve again knew that he had already lost. He refused to fight her. He couldn't. He wasn't even going to try. He was done fighting. It was time to give up.

Nonetheless, before she reached him, he pulled out his phone and dialed Tony's number. Maybe he would get a hold of Thor.

Steve let the phone fall to the ground and stood still.

"Anne... This isn't you."

But the girl didn't seem to hear him.

She was angry. Why, he did not know. She didn't even wait and she attacked him.

Tony heard his phone ring.

"Jarvis, put the call on speaker..."

"Anne... This isn't you."

It was Steve. And Anne was there.

"Jarvis! Track down the call! NOW!"

In the meantime he suited up.

"Central Park, Sir."

When he got there, Anne was massacring Steve. It seemed as if she had no conscience or morals what so ever.

But what really surprised him though, was that Steve wasn't even reacting.

The Captain never ran away from a fight, and yet, now he was just letting her kill him.

"Hey! Freaky... Anne... Thing!"

The girl turned and had such rage in her eyes that Tony actually felt cold shivers run down his back.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size!"

Anne just stood there, waiting.

Tony tried blasting her, but she just moved to the side.

So he tried again and again until she finally started moving forward towards him, avoiding every shot.

What terrified him most was the cruel calm she was approaching him with.

Her look meant certainty of death.

"Jarvis, how much chance do I have of surviving?"

"Calculating, sir. There is a 99. 5% chance of failure. "

"So I have a 0.5% chance of survival?"

Tony started backing away.

"Yes, sir. May I suggest an immediate retreat, sir?"

He watched her. As soon as she was close, she took out a gun. A very big gun.

But nothing every came of it, because right in that moment, a hammer came flying and hit her right in the chest, knocking her out.

Thor, behind her, took back the hammer and went up to her and removed her mask.

"Did you... Did you just kill her?" Asked Tony sarcastic.

"No. She still lives. She has merely fallen unconscious. I shall take her to Asgard and attempt to repair any damage that has been done her. Tell the soldier that I shall return her to him."

Thor then proceeded to pick her up and fly straight to the sky while Tony went to retrieve the Captain.

He was barely breathing.

Stark picked him up and flew to the nearest hospital.


End file.
